Taiwan's opposition KMT leader is pitching a peace-first China policy, framing it as the way to keep Taiwan out of a great-power bargain — reassuring for anyone worried about war, worrying for those who see it as softening toward Beijing.

• KMT chair Cheng Li-wun told a Japanese outlet Taiwan should actively seek peace and shape its own future instead of waiting on big powers to decide it.
• She wants talks with Beijing restarted on the basis of the 1992 consensus, and says peace does not mean giving up democracy, freedom, or prosperity.
• She says the KMT has been wrongly labeled over the past decade as anti-China feeling rose globally, and she is working to explain the party to Japan, Europe, and the US.
• She also raised concerns about TSMC moving production to America and what that does to Taiwan's strategic weight in global tech.
• She argues the ruling DPP's anti-China messaging is losing force, pointing to last year's failed mass recall votes as voter backlash.

Outlook: Expect the KMT to keep courting Tokyo and Washington while pushing cross-strait dialogue, setting up a sharp contrast with the DPP heading into the next election cycle.