Kuomintang chair Cheng Li-wun has made cross-strait reconciliation her central theme — good news for those who support a peace-oriented line, but it also ties Taiwan's security question directly to next year's elections.

• She said the KMT-CCP civil war has already been fought for 70 years and should stop; the two sides of the strait should sit down and talk properly rather than take up arms against each other again.
• The goal is clear: first win the November 28 election, score a sweeping victory in the 2026 local races, and return the KMT to power in 2028.
• She wants Taiwan to shed its position as the front line of a war along the first island chain, and to turn East Asia into a chain of peace and prosperity.
• She warned that "time is running out" and that Taiwan cannot stand by and watch war break out across the strait again.
• She chose as the setting an event marking the 70th anniversary of the Dachen islanders' arrival in Taiwan, using that history of flight and hardship to persuade people not to repeat the same mistakes.

Outlook: Cross-strait policy will be the core battleground of the year-end election campaign, with the KMT betting that voters want peace rather than confrontation.