According to media reports, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Taiwan’s Kuomintang (KMT) have allegedly reached a consensus to hold a “Zheng–Xi Meeting” around the 2026 Lunar New Year, between KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wen and CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping. The report said the meeting comes with three “preconditions” (commonly referred to as “three admission tickets”): blocking the current government’s (Lai Ching-te administration) military procurement and national defense budget, halting progress on security-related legislation, and providing concrete assurances that any institutional or legal reforms that could undermine the CCP’s goal of unification will be stopped.
Taiwan’s DPP pushes back
In response, the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) issued a strong rebuke. DPP caucus whip Chen Pei-yu stated: “If the KMT really intends to bring these three ‘sell-out Taiwan’ tickets to the ‘Zheng–Xi Meeting,’ the people of Taiwan should condemn it together.” She also urged the KMT to immediately clarify or deny the report if it is untrue.
A DPP spokesperson also warned that if cross-strait engagement is built on such secret deals and “bargaining chips,” it will inevitably harm Taiwan’s sovereignty, security, and democratic institutions.
On the KMT side, spokesperson Niu Hsiu-ting firmly denied the so-called “three-ticket claim,” calling the report “fabricated nonsense.” He said that during the recent visits to China by the party’s two vice chairmen, no discussions of any “Zheng–Xi Meeting” took place, nor were any preconditions mentioned.
Rumors about KMT think-tank appointments dismissed
Separately, media reports claimed that Fu Kun-chi, the KMT’s current caucus convener in the Legislative Yuan, is expected to concurrently serve as executive director of the party’s think tank — the National Policy Foundation — forming a “three-in-one” power structure (caucus convener + Policy Committee executive director + think-tank executive director). This raised concerns within the party about power concentration and the potential for opaque control over funding and personnel.
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However, the KMT quickly dismissed the rumor. Niu Hsiu-ting said that Fu Kun-chi has already told the caucus internally that “this is a smear,” stressing that “there is no such thing.” Both Fu’s office and KMT headquarters said the think-tank executive director position remains vacant, with no appointment made.
These “personnel rumors” intertwined with the “three-ticket claim” have shaken both the KMT’s internal image and external credibility. Some members of the public worry that opaque “backroom operations” may be used to consolidate party power.
These two overlapping storylines also reveal several key challenges in Taiwan’s current political landscape:
- If the “Zheng–Xi Meeting” does occur and the conditions include blocking defense and military procurement budgets, it would significantly affect current security policies, defense self-reliance, and Taiwan’s overall deterrence. The sensitivity is heightened by the ongoing NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget.
- If the KMT consolidates control over its think tank, legislative caucus, and policymaking bodies, it could create a highly unified and centralized power structure, raising concerns about internal checks and balances.
- Strong reactions from opposition parties and civil society could further deepen social divisions, undermine political stability, and weaken public trust.
If these reports prove true, they would place enormous pressure on Taiwan’s national security, cross-strait relations, and democratic institutions. However, the KMT has strongly denied both the “three-ticket” claims and the think-tank restructuring rumors. The key question now is whether any further credible evidence will emerge.
