Taiwan in April 2026: the most important developments in politics
In April 2026, Taiwan's politics were dominated by a visit to China by Cheng Li-wun, leader of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT). She paid homage at the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing, described the trip as a "journey for peace" and urged goodwill and mutual trust in Shanghai. On April 10 she met President Xi Jinping in Beijing, the first meeting between Xi and a Taiwanese opposition leader in about a decade. Xi said unification was an "inevitability" and a "certainty of history" and that "We are all Chinese"; some outlets described the meeting as an effort to ease military tensions. On April 12 China announced a package of measures meant to improve relations with Taiwan, including incentives to resume ties and boost exchanges. A Chinese spokesperson later urged the Democratic Progressive Party government in Taipei to remove barriers to resuming direct flights, and a US diplomat called on China to abandon threats against Taiwan.
The second major story was the cancelled trip of President Lai Ching-te. On April 21 Lai called off a planned visit to Africa at the last minute, citing Chinese pressure and coercion; the destination was Eswatini. China's Foreign Ministry said there is no longer a so-called "ROC president" and that anyone using the title brings shame upon themselves, and it praised African countries for blocking Lai's flight. The United States criticised Beijing for pressuring those countries to deny overflight permits. On April 25 Taiwan's foreign minister visited Eswatini after being blocked from meeting the president.
Japan was a third theme. On April 17 a Japanese Self-Defense Force vessel sailed through the Taiwan Strait, and China lodged a formal protest, with its Taiwan Affairs Office calling the transit a "deliberate provocation". Earlier, China blamed remarks on Taiwan by Japan's Takaichi for strained ties, after Japan downgraded its description of China in its annual diplomatic report, and it opposed a Japan-France joint statement on Taiwan.
US senators reassured Taiwan that weapons approvals were expected in the coming weeks, and one urged Taiwan's parliament to pass a stalled defence spending plan. Lithuania and Taiwan were set to sign an economic cooperation deal in early June.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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