Beijing’s political theater

Beijing used a meeting with Taiwan opposition leader Cheng Li-wun to project that closer cross-strait ties still run through China’s terms. (apnews.com) Chinese President Xi Jinping met Cheng, the chair of the Kuomintang, in Beijing on April 10, the first meeting between Xi and a sitting Taiwanese opposition leader in nearly a decade. Xi said China would “absolutely not tolerate” Taiwan independence and urged both sides to oppose separatism and foreign interference. (reuters.com) Cheng said her trip from April 8 to April 12 was a “peace” mission and said after meeting Xi that dialogue should replace confrontation. Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party said Beijing was using the visit to divide Taiwan’s politics and shape debate before the 2028 presidential race. (reuters.com) The meeting came after Taiwan elected President Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party on January 13, 2024, extending that party’s rule for a third term. Beijing calls Lai a separatist, while Lai has said Taiwan’s future must be decided by its people and that he is open to talks with China on equal terms. (cnbc.com) Beijing paired the politics with policy. On April 12, Chinese officials announced 10 measures for Taiwan, including easier tourism, wider access for some television dramas, and steps to facilitate sales of Taiwanese farm and seafood products in China. (politico.com) That mix of pressure and inducements has been a steady pattern. Reuters reported that Taiwan tracked 16 Chinese warplanes near the island on April 9, around the same time Beijing was promoting peace and cooperation through Cheng’s visit. (reuters.com) Taiwan’s government has described some of Beijing’s outreach platforms as “united front” work, meaning political influence efforts aimed at winning supporters and isolating opponents. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said before Cheng’s trip that the visit was tied to Beijing’s effort to block arms spending and interfere in Taiwan’s democratic process. (taipeitimes.com) That language did not start this month. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said in December 2024 that reunification was “non-negotiable,” and state-linked commentary in March 2025 said Beijing would still pursue “peaceful reunification” even after official work reports dropped that exact phrase. (taipeitimes.com) (globaltimes.cn) Former Taiwan president Ma Ying-jeou, also from the Kuomintang, gave Beijing another opening in June 2025 when he said the two sides should pursue “peaceful and democratic unification” while visiting China. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said Ma’s remarks echoed Chinese Communist Party talking points at a forum it called a united front platform. (scmp.com) (taipeitimes.com) The immediate result is not a negotiated breakthrough but a clearer script. Beijing is showing Taiwanese voters that it will reward politicians who engage on its preferred terms and keep military and political pressure on the government in Taipei. (apnews.com) (reuters.com)