Taiwan's ruling side flatly rejected an opposition call to accept the "1992 Consensus" with Beijing, a sign the island's cross-strait standoff is hardening rather than easing.

• KMT chair Cheng Li-wun, speaking in Kinmen on the anniversary of the 1958 artillery battle, said tensions would drop fast if President Lai accepted the consensus under the ROC constitution.
• Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council responded that the government has one position: keep the Republic of China in existence and defend democratic constitutional rule.
• Officials called the idea absurd, arguing Beijing defines the consensus as "one China" with no room for the ROC to exist at all.
• One official said Cheng should first ask Xi Jinping to recognize the ROC, and questioned whether such remarks belong at a ceremony honoring those who defended Taiwan.
• The clash shows how the KMT's new leadership is pushing a friendlier line toward Beijing while the government digs in.

Outlook: Expect no cross-strait dialogue restart, and sharper fights between the KMT and Lai's government over how to handle China ahead of the next election cycle.