For the first time in a decade, the top leader of Taiwan’s opposition party, the Nationalist Party or the Kuomintang (KMT), visited China this week at the invitation of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The trip comes at a time when the CCP has increasingly asserted China’s territorial claims over the island.What is also noteworthy is the history between the parties, who were once allies but later fought a civil war in the early 20th century for the political control of modern China. The CCP emerged victorious, and the KMT — one of the oldest parties in East Asia — fled the mainland and formed a government in Taiwan, where it held power for decades.Both laid claims to the other’s territory and argued that they were the true representatives of China, with the United States strongly supporting the KMT for decades amid the Cold War.In recent years, however, a thaw of sorts has come about. KMT chairwoman Cheng Li-wun also met Chinese President Xi Jinping, who reiterated China’s claims. Cheng later said in a press conference that she hoped “no political party in Taiwan uses cross-strait peace as a tool” to get votes, in a reference to their direct political rival — the island’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The Chinese government has often termed the DPP as “separatists”.‘Friend to enemies’Anushka Saxena, staff research analyst at the Indo-Pacific Studies Programme, Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru, described the two parties’ relationship as “a classic case of enemies-to-friends, with, of course, a history and nuance”.After the fall of China’s last imperial Qing dynasty in 1911, a period of turmoil followed over the nation’s future. Doctor-turned-political leader Sun Yat-sen, often called the “father of modern China”, formed the KMT as an anti-monarchy organisation with three principles: Nationality, Democracy, and Socialism (or livelihood). Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong. Photo: Wikimedia CommonsChinese leader Mao Zedong also supported the party, and the Kuomintang formed the government in 1925 with support from the Soviets and the CCP (formed in 1921 and led by Mao). After Sun Yat-sen’s death, his protege Chiang Kai-shek became the leader of the right-wing faction of the KMT, but he grew suspicious of the communists and how their ideas went against the interests of local businessmen and warlords.Story continues below this adAlso read | The US is focused on Iran. But Xi’s hands are still tied on TaiwanThis eventually led to a split and a civil war beginning in 1927, which was briefly paused for the parties to unite against the Japanese invasion of China until 1945 — Japan’s defeat and the end of World War II. The internal battle resumed and finally ended in 1949, with the formation of a communist state, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and the KMT forming a government in Taiwan as the Republic of China (ROC).How Beijing views the KMTThe KMT, under Chiang Kai-shek, imposed martial law, citing a threat of invasion from the PRC. It was only revoked in the 1980s, some years after his death, allowing parties like the DPP to emerge.Saxena said, “Contemporarily, the KMT is the only Taiwanese party whose many members, and many aspects of its ideology, regard the mainland as the motherland… An example is Ho Ying-lu, who resigned from the KMT in November 2025 after controversy erupted following her appearance on Douyin (China’s domestic version of TikTok) wearing a Mao Zedong t-shirt.”Another factor was a set of meetings between the parties in the ’90s, culminating in the “1992 Consensus”. It was agreed that there was only “One China,” which led to an improvement in cross-strait ties, but omitted clearly defining the political relationship between Taiwan and mainland China.Story continues below this adAlso read | Xi has made it clear to Trump: The red line is TaiwanSaxena said that over time, the “KMT has preferred ‘dialogue’ with China over the DPP’s preferred ‘deterrence, defence and diplomacy’ approach.” The CCP has also facilitated around 10 high-level KMT visits under Xi, starting in 2012-13. KMT’s position within Taiwan In recent years, the KMT has failed to maintain its predominant position in Taiwanese politics. In 2016, the DPP swept the presidential and parliamentary elections and has been in power since then. In that time, Beijing has criticised the DPP and current President Lai Ching-te, and refused to engage in dialogue with Lai, who once called himself a “pragmatic Taiwan independence worker”, Saxena said. At present, the Lai-led DPP government is in a minority position. “In the 2024 presidential election, the KMT candidate Hou Yu-ih won 33.5% of votes, while Lai won 40%. In the legislature, the KMT won 52 seats to the DPP’s 51 — a slight edge that doesn’t translate to majority control,” Saxena said.However, “Public opinion on the KMT and its policy agenda is sobering. A Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation survey (October 2025) found only 13.9% support ‘unification with China’, versus 44.3% who support independence and 24.6% who support maintaining the status quo,” she added. Other surveys have also shown similar results, with the people of Taiwan increasingly identifying themselves as Taiwanese, rather than Chinese. Story continues below this adAlso read | Over Taiwan, China and Japan are playing a risky gameThe KMT also faces internal problems, Saxena said: “Cheng was elected KMT chairperson with support from the party’s most conservative factions, but moderates fear she will alienate Taiwan’s mainstream voters by appearing too closely aligned with China ahead of local elections in November and the 2028 presidential election. As a result, many of them have been voicing support for bigger defence budgets for Taiwan, and visiting the US to show a nuanced image.”The visit’s timing and significanceSaxena said that the gap in the KMT leader’s visits to China may stem from China distancing itself from the party following its political decline over the last decade. With the KMT commanding a stronger parliamentary position today, Beijing may feel more confident about revamping ties with them, she added. “The timing of the visit is also relevant because Taiwan is currently debating major defence spending proposals, including a special defence budget of close to $40 billion and a purchase of American arms… The only hindrance to Lai’s plans is the KMT’s repeated objections, which have also led to violent brawls in the legislature,” she said.Writing for The Diplomat, Jade Guan, a Senior Lecturer in International Politics and Strategy at Deakin University in Australia, said the visit also sends a message to the US. “In addition to speaking to Taiwan, China is also signaling to the U.S. that the Taiwan issue cannot be shaped by the United States through deterrence, arms sales, and high-level diplomacy alone. Beijing believes it still has political levers of its own with which to influence cross-Strait dynamics.”Story continues below this ad“That message is visible in the official language announcing the visit. Xinhua (the state media agency) reported that the invitation was made “to promote the peaceful development of KMT-CCP relations and cross-Strait relations”… Beijing is explicitly linking party-to-party ties with the management of the wider cross-Strait relationship,” she wrote. “By inviting the KMT leader now, China is framing Taiwan within a Chinese political arena in which Beijing can bypass the DPP government, work with its preferred Taiwanese actors, and influence debate over peace, security, and identity,” Guan wrote.