Xi Jinping Meets KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun at Great Hall of the People — First CPC-KMT Summit in ~10 Years; Xi: 'Taiwan Independence Is Chief Culprit'

CCP General Secretary and PRC President Xi Jinping met with KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun and her delegation at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 10, 2026 — the first formal CPC-KMT party leader meeting in approximately a decade and the culmination of Cheng's April 7–12 China visit. Xi told Cheng that 'Taiwan independence is the chief culprit that undermines peace across the Taiwan Strait, and we will never tolerate or condone it,' adding that cross-strait relations should be 'firmly in the hands of the Chinese people.' Xi stated that 'we welcome any proposals conducive to the peaceful development of cross-strait relations and will spare no effort to advance any endeavors that promote such development.' Cheng responded that 'people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are Chinese and belong to one family,' and that the KMT and CPC should 'uphold the common political foundation of adhering to the 1992 Consensus and opposing Taiwan independence.' Cheng called for 'reconciliation' after the meeting and described the talks as an important step toward cross-strait peace. Taiwan's DPP government sharply criticized the summit: 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.' Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng urged Beijing to engage with Taiwan's democratically elected government and called on Cheng to demand Beijing halt military pressure. Bloomberg reported Xi framing the meeting as part of a push for peaceful reunification while pointing to global conflicts. The meeting took place 34 days before the scheduled Trump-Xi summit in Beijing (May 14–15, 2026).