Taiwan's two main parties clashed again over how to handle China, with the KMT saying peace is one step away and the government refusing to budge.

• KMT chair Cheng Li-wun, speaking in Kinmen on the 68th anniversary of the 1958 artillery battle, said President Lai only needs to accept the 1992 Consensus under the ROC constitution to restart talks with Beijing.
• She said that step alone would sharply lower tension across the Taiwan Strait and reopen contact, dialogue and exchanges.
• She accused Lai of double standards, noting he swore loyalty to the ROC constitution to take office and should not twist it with a "two-state" reading.
• The Mainland Affairs Council pushed back, saying the government has only one position: preserve the Republic of China and defend democratic constitutional rule.

Outlook: No thaw with Beijing is likely while the two sides of Taiwan's own politics remain split over the 1992 Consensus.