A senior KMT figure used a major cross-strait trade fair in mainland China to push for warmer ties and reject Taiwanese independence — welcome news for Taiwanese businesses operating in China, unwelcome for Taipei's ruling camp.

• KMT vice chairman Hsiao Hsu-tsen told the Dongguan Taiwan trade fair that hostility across the strait must end, with goodwill replacing confrontation and talks replacing standoff.
• The party reaffirmed the "1992 consensus" and opposition to Taiwanese independence as its political base, framing peace as the way to make Taiwan prosper.
• The pitch is aimed at Taiwanese business owners in China, who the KMT calls a bridge between the two sides and promises to protect.
• This year's fair leans heavily into chips, AI, robotics and precision machinery — the industries both sides most want to link up.
• It follows KMT chair Cheng Li-wun's spring trip to the mainland and meeting with Xi Jinping, which the party casts as a turning point.

Outlook: Expect the KMT to keep building economic and youth exchange channels with Beijing, deepening its split with the ruling DPP ahead of the next election cycle.