Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, shakes hands with Kuomintang (KMT) party leader Cheng Li-wun in Beijing on April 10, 2026. (Photo: Xie Huanchi/Xinhua via AP) 3 min read Apr 27, 2026 06:30 AM IST First published on: Apr 27, 2026 at 06:30 AM IST Given the traditional interactions between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China, the meeting earlier this month between Cheng Li-wun of Taiwan’s main opposition party and Chinese President Xi Jinping could have been treated as a routine affair. But it assumed significance for several reasons. First, there is a growing realisation in China that its aggressive policies have emboldened the Taiwanese to assert self-rule, enabling the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to remain in power for the last decade. By inviting the KMT’s chairwoman, President Xi aimed to reaffirm historical, social, cultural, and ancestral linkages that connect people across the Taiwan Strait.…