New KMT chair hopes to take peace message to Beijing while on Taiwan political tightrope

A plan by the chairwoman of Taiwan’s main opposition party to visit Beijing this year, hoping to meet President Xi Jinping, has fuelled hopes of better dialogue amid soaring cross-strait tensions. But while supporters have hailed Cheng Li-wun’s planned trip as a chance to ease frictions across the Taiwan Strait, critics warn that it risks signalling alignment with Beijing as it increases military pressure on the island. Cheng, who was elected chairwoman of the Kuomintang (KMT) in October, has...