Visit shows shared wish for cross-Strait peace

Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the KMT, leads a party delegation to pay homage to the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing, East China’s Jiangsu province [Photo: Xinhua]

Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, is leading a delegation to the Chinese mainland from Tuesday to Sunday, and the visit is resonating far beyond the itinerary itself.

At a time when cross-Strait tensions are being stirred by external forces and separatist voices on the island are growing louder, Cheng’s trip sends a simple but important message: attempts to seek separation by relying on outside forces and inflaming cross-Strait confrontation will not succeed because whatever the international climate and however divided politics on the island may be, people across the Strait overwhelmingly want peace.

Political infighting on the island has intensified, while security issues are repeatedly being used to create a sense of looming conflict. The Democratic Progressive Party authorities have tried to amplify the atmosphere of crisis and present “resisting China” as the only option for the residents of Taiwan. But ordinary people on the island want stability, not bloodshed. They are tired of political manipulation and want peace across the Strait. Their deep desire for a normal life is the strongest answer to separatist politics.

In late March, Hung Chi-chang, former chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation, led a group of Taiwan tourism operators to Xiamen and Pingtan in Fujian province for exchanges on expanding cross-Strait travel cooperation. The visit reflected a broad desire within the industry to restore engagement and reduce confrontation. Wang Jin-pyng, the KMT’s most senior advisor, also voiced strong support for Cheng Li-wun’s trip, saying it serves the cause of peace. He expressed hope that she will convey the mainstream public sentiment in Taiwan — to replace confrontation with communication, and conflict with dialogue.

Cheng’s trip responds to the shared wish for peace, development, exchange and cooperation on both sides of the Strait. By welcoming her, the mainland has once again shown its sincerity in promoting peaceful cross-Strait development and expanding communication. It’s a clear indication that the door of dialogue has not been closed. When the two sides resume engagement and dialogue, the deadlock can be broken.

The real obstacle to normalized ties is political forces on the island that have long blocked cross-Strait exchanges. A harmonious relationship that should have benefited the well-being of Taiwan residents has been turned into a tool for political gain.

Cheng’s visit also serves as a counterweight to the crude interference of the United States in the Taiwan question. As news of the visit emerged, US politicians started sending dangerous signals. In late March, US senators visited Taiwan and urged the authorities there to approve a special defense budget of $40 billion while the head of “the American Institute in Taiwan” talked about support for Taiwan’s defense and energy security. Taiwan’s leader, meanwhile, used meetings with US politicians to promote coordination with the US and other “democratic partners” in the name of “regional security”.

These moves are dressed up as security cooperation. In reality they are about selling fear, amplifying confrontation and pushing risks in the Strait even higher. The US has never really cared about the well-being of Taiwan residents. Washington just wants to turn Taiwan into a forward outpost for containing China and keep the Strait available as a geopolitical lever.

That is what makes Cheng’s visit more significant. It shows that Chinese people on both sides of the Strait are fully capable of managing differences through dialogue, building mutual trust and working for peace. The message is clear, both to the island and to the wider world: the Taiwan Strait wants peace, not war. It needs exchange, not provocation. And people on both sides have the ability to shape their future and will not submit to outside manipulation.

Cheng’s visit also underscores the basic fact that cross-Strait relations are China’s internal affairs, and differences should be addressed through dialogue between the two sides. No matter how outside forces package their involvement, and no matter how separatist forces on the island try to draw strength from foreign backing, the fact that both sides of the Strait belong to one China has not changed. Nor has the legal and historical basis that unequivocally regards Taiwan as part of China’s internal affairs.

What happens in the Taiwan Strait affects not only cross-Strait relations, but also Asia-Pacific security, the stability of industry and supply chains, and global market expectations. Every bit of room created for peaceful dialogue reduces regional risk. Every step away from confrontation eases international anxiety.

The signal from Cheng’s visit is positive. It helps break a vicious cycle in cross-Strait ties, and resist the grip of external manipulation on regional security.

A peaceful resolution of the Taiwan question serves the interests of the Chinese nation, the Asia-Pacific region and the world’s desire for stability, cooperation and development. In that sense, Cheng’s visit brings positive energy and a measure of certainty to an increasingly unsettled international environment.

The widespread attention this visit has drawn is not only because it aligns with mainstream public sentiment on both sides of the Strait, but also because it shows that the call of national responsibility still carries force, and that the path of peaceful development still exists.

That signal matters to people on both sides of the Strait and it matters to the Asia-Pacific. It is a warning to those who seek to profit from tension, manufacture crises and feed on the prospect of conflict.

Facts will ultimately show that any political maneuver that ties Taiwan to an external war chariot and pushes its residents toward the front line of danger will fail the test of public opinion, reality and history. Taiwan’s future is tied to national reunification.

The well-being of Taiwan residents depends on peace across the Strait. Every step toward cross-Strait exchanges reduces the risk of miscalculation, adds to the goodwill and lays firmer ground for national rejuvenation.Zhu Songling*, China Daily

* The author is a professor at the Institute of Taiwan Studies in Beijing Union University.