Taiwan’s New Opposition Leader Warns of War Risk, Pledges ‘New Era of Peace’ with China

Taiwan’s newly elected opposition leader, Cheng Li-wun, took office on Saturday with a stark warning about the risk of war with China, while vowing to usher in what she called a “new era of peace” across the Taiwan Strait.

Cheng, 55, a former lawmaker, assumed leadership of the Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan’s largest opposition party, amid heightened military and political tensions with Beijing, which claims the self-governed island as its territory.

“This is the worst of times. The Taiwan Strait faces grave military danger and the world is watching closely,” Cheng told party members during an inauguration ceremony at a packed indoor high school stadium in Taipei. “Taiwan’s security faces the constant threat of war.”

The KMT, which historically advocates closer ties with China, has long positioned itself as the party of dialogue, in contrast to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which firmly rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.

Cheng succeeds Eric Chu, a more internationally minded leader who refrained from visiting China during his tenure beginning in 2021. By contrast, Cheng has hinted at a shift toward warmer cross-Strait engagement. Her election last month was warmly received in Beijing, with Chinese President Xi Jinping sending a congratulatory message urging efforts to “advance reunification.”

Chinese social media users have dubbed Cheng the “reunification goddess,” a label she dismissed lightheartedly this week, saying, “If they are wrong or untrue, just laugh it off.”

The KMT’s new Deputy Chairman Hsiao Hsu-tsen met with Song Tao, head of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, during a visit to China earlier this week—signaling renewed communication between the two sides.

In her maiden speech, Cheng avoided detailed policy pronouncements, instead emphasizing the need for peace and stability. “The KMT will definitely be the party that opens a new era of cross-Strait peace and leads Taiwan forward,” she declared.

Cheng also opposes President Lai Ching-te’s push to expand defence spending—an initiative strongly supported by the United States—arguing that dialogue, not armament, is the key to security.

While the KMT lost the presidential race earlier this year, it and its ally, the Taiwan People’s Party, hold a majority in parliament, complicating the DPP’s legislative agenda. Cheng’s first political test will come in next year’s local elections, a key barometer ahead of the 2028 presidential contest.