Taiwan's opposition betrays its sovereignty and will visit Chinese dictator Xi Jinping

The president of Taiwan's main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), Cheng Li-wun, will travel to China between April 7 and 12 after accepting an invitation from the dictator Chinese, Xi Jinping. The visit, which will include stops in Beijing, Shanghai and Jiangsu province, comes at a time of high political sensitivity and has raised strong questions within the island because of the message it could send both internally and internationally

.

The announcement comes a few weeks before the planned visit of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to Beijing, adding a significant geopolitical component. In this context, the opposition leader's trip is seen by some analysts as a maneuver that could interfere with Taiwan's international strategy and weaken its position vis-a-vis

China.

Cheng Li-wun, who took over the leadership of the KMT in October, has promoted a more direct approach with Beijing, making a difference with his predecessor, Eric Chu, who avoided such visits during his tenure. The leader has defended her decision, arguing that she seeks to promote peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, in addition to generating mutual trust between

both parties.

However, this position has come under increasing criticism within Taiwan. Political sectors and analysts believe that the KMT's approach to Beijing could be interpreted as a sign of weakness in the face of a Chinese government that does not recognize the island's sovereignty. China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory, refuses to talk with the current Taiwanese president, Lai Ching-te, whom it describes as a “separatist”, but it maintains

open channels with the opposition.

From the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, criticism has been direct. Its general secretary, Hsu Kuo-yung, publicly asked Cheng to make it clear to Xi that Taiwan is a sovereign democracy where citizens freely choose their president. These statements reflect concerns that the visit may be used by Beijing as a propaganda tool to show an alleged openness or support within Taiwanese politics

.

The trip also coincides with a key debate on strengthening the island's defense. The government of Lai Ching-te seeks to approve an increase of 40 billion dollars in the military budget, in response to increasing pressure from

China.

However, the KMT, which controls the Parliament, has conditioned its support on providing more details, which has been interpreted by some sectors as a strategy that delays urgent decisions regarding national security

.

Historically, relations between China and Taiwan have been marked by a lack of mutual recognition since the end of the civil war in 1949. Although there have been episodes of rapprochement, such as the meeting in 2015 between then Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou and Xi Jinping

, tensions remain high.