Cheng Li-wun’s politics of quoting Xi Jinping

Kuomintang (KMT) chairman Cheng Li-wun held a press conference at the China World Hotel in Beijing following a meeting between leaders of the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), drawing a host of Chinese and international media.

Cheng, who began her career as a talk-show host and later served as the KMT’s spokesperson and head of its Education and Culture Committee, brought a distinctly Taiwanese cadence to the room the moment she began speaking — at once rhythmic, impassioned and expressive.

The press conference lasted about 40 minutes, during which Cheng answered eight questions from media outlets across the Taiwan Strait, as well as from Hong Kong and the US.

While most of her responses appeared spontaneous, Cheng deftly skirted politically sensitive questions on the “1992 Consensus” and “one China, different interpretations”, avoiding direct answers. Instead, she flipped through her notes and cited remarks by CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping during their closed-door meeting and luncheon, laughing that she had managed to find the right passage amid the dense pages of writing.

Within Taiwan, there is considerable interest in whether KMT leaders mention “one China, different interpretations” when visiting the mainland and meeting with CCP leaders.

When asked by Taiwanese media whether she had raised the idea with Xi, Cheng did not respond directly, saying only that she had reiterated what was in the 1992 Consensus.

Looking at her notes, she said she mentioned the Wang-Koo talks (a series of meetings from 1993 to 1998 between Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits chairman Wang Daohan and Straits Exchange Foundation chairman Koo Chen-fu) during her visit to Shanghai’s Yangshan Port, and Xi responded that the talks had already made the content of the 1992 Consensus very clear. “Unless one harbours ill intent, or deliberately feigns ignorance, one should not be unaware of the true content of the 1992 Consensus. There is no need to maliciously distort it, nor should one deliberately undermine the reconciliation and peaceful development of cross-strait relations.”

A reporter from NBC asked whether, after meeting Xi, she believed that peaceful reunification across the Taiwan Strait was a shared goal of both sides.

Cheng again referred to her notes and quoted Xi: “Social systems and political positions may differ, but our common ancestry and the bonds of our nation cannot be severed. Differences in social systems should not serve as a pretext for division.” She added that the CCP leadership had conveyed significant goodwill.

She also expressed the view that both sides of the strait should pragmatically face their differences while appreciating each other’s achievements, “handling matters one at a time and moving forward step by step”.

The most lighthearted moment came when talking about the Fujian cuisine served at the luncheon. After the closed-door meeting, Xi hosted Cheng and her delegation to a banquet, and a Hong Kong reporter asked if there was anything particularly memorable about it.

Cheng laughed and said the first thing was that the opener was a Fujian speciality — sea clam. Xi pointed out that it was the same dish served at the state banquet in Beijing for then US President Richard Nixon. At that banquet, there were two Fujian dishes, one of which was chicken soup with sea clam.

The second thing was Xi’s thoughtful concern for Cheng and her delegation. She said as she seldom visited the mainland, Xi asked if she was adapting well. He also asked after former KMT chairs Lien Chan and Ma Ying-jeou, and asked her to send them his regards.

Cheng added that Xi recounted many details of his meeting with Ma in Singapore, “which made us feel very warm and at ease”.

Zheng Shanjie, chair of China’s National Development and Reform Commission and a native of Zhangzhou in Fujian, was also at the Xi-Cheng meeting, prompting speculation as to whether Beijing would next extend economic and trade incentives to Taiwan.

Cheng said as Zheng was at the meeting, she had specifically raised the challenges faced by Taiwanese industries and the possibility of greater alignment and cooperation across the strait.

During Cheng’s meeting with Xi, she remarked that she hoped for an opportunity to “play host” in welcoming Xi and company to Taiwan. A journalist asked: did this mean Cheng intended to “move up” politically? What the journalist did not say out loud was whether Cheng might be considering a presidential bid in 2028.

Cheng smiled before replying earnestly: this was an exchange between two political parties, and she was visiting the mainland at Xi’s invitation as a representative of the KMT. Naturally, she hoped to “invite General Secretary Xi to visit Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, in the capacity of KMT chairman, with a future change in ruling party”.

This article was first published in Lianhe Zaobao as “郑丽文翻笔记转述国共闭门会议内容”.

Related: Cheng Li-wun’s China visit: A test of the KMT itself | Cheng Li-wun and the ‘Taiwanised’ KMT: A story Taiwan may not buy