Taiwan DPP and MAC Condemn Xi-KMT Summit — Lai: 'Compromising With Authoritarians Does Not Bring Peace'; MAC Urges Beijing Direct Engagement

Taiwan's ruling DPP government and Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) issued sharp condemnations of the April 10 Xi Jinping–Cheng Li-wun meeting in Beijing. President Lai Ching-te posted on Facebook that 'history tells us that compromising with authoritarian regimes only sacrifices sovereignty and democracy; it will not bring freedom, nor will it bring peace,' and criticized the KMT for 'deliberately avoiding cross-party negotiations' while blocking approval of Taiwan's special defense budget. DPP spokesperson Wu Cheng stated that if the KMT 'truly sought stability, it should stop blocking defense spending.' MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng urged Beijing to engage directly with Taiwan's democratically elected government rather than an opposition party, and called on Cheng to demand an 'immediate halt to compounded pressure against Taiwan,' underscoring the paradox of seeking peace through dialogue while facing military intimidation from the PLA. The DPP framed Beijing's selective engagement with the KMT as an effort to bypass Taiwan's democratic mandate and generate propaganda optics ahead of the May 14–15 Trump-Xi summit.