Xi Meets Taiwan Opposition Leader Ahead of Trump Summit
Chinese leader Xi Jinping hosted Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of Taiwan’s main opposition Kuomintang party, for a rare meeting in Beijing this week, a move framed as part of Beijing’s campaign to draw the self-ruled island closer to China and sideline U.S. influence. The session, confirmed Friday morning local time by China’s official Xinhua News Agency, comes just weeks before a planned mid-May summit between Xi and President Donald Trump. By engaging directly with Taiwan’s opposition ahead of that summit, Beijing is signaling it will pursue political and diplomatic tools—not just military pressure—to reshape cross-strait dynamics. For Washington, the outreach highlights how Chinese leaders are working multiple tracks to weaken longstanding U.S. support for Taiwan and test the Trump administration’s ambiguous signals on the island.
📌 Key Facts
- Xi Jinping invited Kuomintang Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun to Beijing for talks this week.
- The meeting was held Friday morning local time and reported by China’s official Xinhua News Agency.
- The outreach comes ahead of a mid-May summit between Xi and President Donald Trump, with Beijing seeking to pull Taiwan closer and reduce U.S. influence.
📊 Relevant Data
In a 2024 Pew Research Center survey, 67% of adults in Taiwan identified as primarily Taiwanese, 3% as primarily Chinese, and 28% as both.
Most people in Taiwan see themselves as primarily Taiwanese; few say they’re primarily Chinese — Pew Research Center
According to the National Chengchi University Election Study Center's 2023 data, 33.2% of Taiwanese favored maintaining the status quo and deciding later, 28.4% favored status quo indefinitely, 27.7% favored status quo moving toward independence, with only 6.7% favoring status quo moving toward unification and 1.3% favoring immediate unification.
Taiwan Independence vs. Unification with the Mainland (1994/12~2023/12) — Election Study Center, National Chengchi University
In 2024 focus groups and polls referenced in a Wilson Center report, Taiwanese youth aged 18-25 showed overwhelming preference for the status quo (majority rating around 5 on a 0-10 scale where 5 is pro-status quo), with more leaning toward independence than unification but prioritizing peace and domestic issues over formal changes.
Are Taiwanese Youth Becoming Less Pro-Independence? — Wilson Center
In 2023, China accounted for approximately 35% of Taiwan's total exports, making it Taiwan's largest trading partner, though efforts to diversify have reduced dependence from previous years.
Taiwan - Market Overview — International Trade Administration
A March 2026 poll by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy showed that 62% of Taiwanese preferred aligning with the US over China (18%), with 75% willing to resist a Chinese invasion even without US military aid.
New Polls Show Taiwan Strongly Favors US Alliance Over China — Vision Times
📰 Source Timeline (1)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time