Taiwan's opposition leader says peace with China is simple if the president accepts the 1992 Consensus, a demand the government flatly rejected — a sign the island's cross-strait divide is hardening, not easing.

• KMT chair Cheng Li-wun, speaking on Kinmen at the 68th anniversary of the 1958 artillery bombardment, said President Lai only has to accept the 1992 Consensus on the basis of the ROC constitution and talks with Beijing could restart immediately.
• She argued that would quickly lower tensions and reopen contact, dialogue, and exchange across the strait.
• Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council pushed back, saying the government has one position only: preserve the Republic of China and defend democratic constitutional rule.
• Cheng also accused Lai of hypocrisy, noting he swore loyalty to the ROC constitution to take office and should not twist it with a two-states framing.

Outlook: Expect the standoff to continue, with the KMT pressing the 1992 Consensus as its peace platform heading into the next election cycle and Lai's government refusing to budge.