Beijing's top political advisor has signaled a potentially significant softening in China's Taiwan policy, dropping standard rhetoric about "inevitable reunification" in favor of language emphasizing peace and cross-strait exchange.
Wang Huning (王滬寧), chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and a chief ideologue for three successive Chinese leaders, made the remarks during the annual Taiwan Work Conference in Beijing on Feb.
A Rhetorical Pivot
Wang's comments marked a stark departure from Beijing's aggressive tone of previous years. The standard phrase calling to "shape the inevitable trend of national reunification" was notably absent. It was replaced by directives to "maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."
While the 2025 conference communiqué omitted mentions of "peace," Wang restored the term as a central theme this year. He also upgraded the language regarding engagement, moving from a general call to expand exchanges to a more specific directive to "facilitate and streamline" grassroots civilian interactions.
Tacit Acceptance of 'Different Interpretations'
The shift in tone was reinforced during a Feb. 4 meeting between Wang and a KMT delegation led by Vice Chairman Vincent Siew(蕭旭岑). During the talks, Siew explicitly stated that the 1992 Consensus involves "each side expressing orally in its own way" their adherence to the one-China principle. This phrasing highlights the "different interpretations" component of the consensus—a nuance Beijing has often glossed over in favor of the "one China" principle.
According to Chang Ya-ping (張雅屏), director of the KMT's Mainland Affairs Department, this statement was not improvised.
"Following long-standing practice between the KMT and Communist Party, both sides exchange general talking points in advance," Chang said. "The mainland side did not request any changes or deletions regarding the 'different interpretations' language."
Military De-escalation
KMT officials noted that the softening rhetoric appeared to coincide with a pause in military pressure. Chang observed that People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft incursions into Taiwan's air defense identification zone decreased markedly in the week following the KMT-CCP forum.
"It's not that they stopped completely, but compared to the past when there could be dozens of aircraft per day, it was indeed much quieter," Chang said.
She added that Wang notably avoided using the word "unification" during both public and closed-door sessions, focusing almost exclusively on "peace."
Seeking a 'Peace Framework'
Despite ongoing tensions between Beijing and Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), KMT officials believe the current atmosphere offers an opening.
KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wen (鄭麗文) has proposed a "cross-strait peace framework," seeking an alternative pathway to de-escalate hostilities.
"Cheng's peace framework is trying to find a peaceful path forward," Chang said, contrasting the KMT's approach with what she described as the DPP's "manufactured hostility."
"How to walk that path should be discussed by society." （Related： Taiwan, US Sign Reciprocal Trade Agreement, Slash Tariff Burden and Exempt 2,072 Products ｜ Latest ）
