On Saturday, Taiwan's new opposition leader assumed office, promising to usher in a new age of peace with Beijing while cautioning about the possibility of war with China. At a time of growing political and military tension with Beijing, which considers the democratically controlled island its own territory, former lawmaker Cheng Li-wun assumes leadership of the Kuomintang (KMT), the strongest opposition group.
"Now is the worst possible moment. She addressed party members at an indoor high school stadium in Taipei, saying, "The world is watching closely and the Taiwan Strait faces grave military danger." "War is a constant threat to Taiwan's security."

Positions of the DPP and KMT on China
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which leads Taiwan's government, vehemently opposes China's claims to sovereignty, even though the KMT has always supported tight ties with Beijing.
Compared to her urbane, internationalist predecessor Eric Chu, who did not travel to China throughout his tenure as chairman, which started in 2021, Cheng, 55, has already indicated a shift towards even closer ties with Beijing.
Following her victory last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping quickly congratulated her and urged her to work towards "reunification" in a statement.
Cheng is known as the "reunification goddess" by some Chinese internet users, but she claimed this week that she had received a lot of online nicknames, saying, "If they are wrong or untrue, just laugh it off."

Hsiao Hsu-tsen, the new deputy chairman of the KMT, met with Song Tao, the head of China's Taiwan Affairs Office, during his visit to China this week.
In her first speech as party leader, Cheng stated that she would work for peace but did not specify her policy towards China or whether she would travel there.
A new era of peace’
"The KMT will definitely be the party that opens a new era of cross-Strait peace and leads Taiwan forward," she stated.
Cheng also disagrees with President Lai Ching-te's administration's main defence spending agenda. The United States strongly supports the spending.

Despite losing last year's presidential election, the KMT and its ally, the tiny Taiwan People's Party, together control the majority of parliamentary seats, making it difficult for the ruling DPP to enact laws and the budget.
Cheng's first priorities will be getting ready for the municipal and mayoral elections that are scheduled for late next year. These will serve as a crucial indicator of support before to the 2028 presidential election, although primarily concentrating on domestic matters.