Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, meets with Hsiao Hsu-tsen, a vice chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party (KMT), in Beijing on February 4, 2026. Photo: Xinhua

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, met with Hsiao Hsu-tsen, a vice chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party (KMT), in Beijing on Wednesday, with both sides reaffirming to uphold the 1992 Consensus and oppose "Taiwan independence."  

The meeting came on the heels of a resumed CPC-KMT think tank forum held on Tuesday, which drew more than 100 participants from both sides of the Taiwan Straits and saw the proposal of 15 common opinions on advancing cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation. 

Wang said that the mainland will strengthen exchanges and interactions with various political parties, groups and people from all sectors in Taiwan, including the KMT, on the political basis of upholding the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence," promoting cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation, and further advance the integrated development of the two sides, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 

Wang stated that upholding the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence" serve as the common political foundation for exchanges between the two parties, and constitutes the fundamental prerequisite for the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations — this must never be wavered at any time. 

He called for both sides to firmly hold the nation's destiny in own hands, resolutely oppose "Taiwan independence" separatist activities and interference by external forces, and work together to safeguard peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits.

The CPC and the KMT must take the lead in doing whatever benefits compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits and advances cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation, Wang said, per Xinhua. 

Hsiao stated that the 1992 Consensus, along with the shared commitment to opposing "Taiwan independence," constitutes the common political foundation for the continued development of cross-Straits exchanges, according to Xinhua. 

Both sides of the Taiwan Straits are all "descendants of Yan and Huang Emperors" and belong to the Chinese nation, and it is hoped that Chinese people on both sides of Straits will replace confrontation with exchanges and conflicts with consultations, further foster harmonious integration and mutually beneficial win-win outcomes across the Taiwan Straits, and work together for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

He added that the vast majority of Taiwan people hope to see more exchanges and interactions across the Taiwan Straits, and the KMT has an inescapable responsibility and should step up to fulfill this duty, according to the udn.com. 

The high-level CPC-KMT talks have garnered great attention from Taiwan-based media outlets. The udn.com stated that the meeting represents the first high-level cross-Straits exchange between the KMT and CPC this year, and also the highest-level interaction since KMT chairperson Cheng Li-wun assumed office in October 2025. 

It added that given that the mainland is scheduled to convene the Taiwan work conference around the Spring Festival, followed by the annual two sessions in March, the recent high-level interactions are widely regarded as a crucial barometer for gauging the mainland's Taiwan policy in 2026. 

Citing a Taiwan-based expert, the DPP-aligned ltn.com claimed in a Wednesday report that as the senior CPC official overseeing Taiwan-related affairs, Wang's personal reception of Hsiao conveys "significant political goodwill" to the KMT. 

Zheng Jian, a professor at the Taiwan Research Institute of Xiamen University, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the latest reaffirmation to uphold the 1992 Consensus and oppose "Taiwan independence" from the senior level of both parties not only reconfirms the political foundation for exchanges and cooperation between both parties and across the Taiwan Straits, but also marks the right consensus track of jointly advancing the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations. 

According to Zheng, during the DPP's nine consecutive years in power, cross-Straits relations have been fraught with tensions simply because the DPP authorities reject the 1992 Consensus while advocate secessionism. The previous setbacks in CPC-KMT interactions, meanwhile, also stemmed from the fact that some KMT political figures, swayed by Taiwan's internal political dynamics, once adopted an ambiguous, wavering and even regressive stance on the 1992 Consensus.

This engagement sends a clear signal: Only by firmly adhering to the political foundation can the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations be promoted, Zheng said. 

The KMT delegation wrapped up its three-day mainland visit on Wednesday with a tour of the Artificial Intelligence College and the Institute for Carbon Neutrality at Tsinghua University, before departing for Taiwan by air. 

Zheng believed that the positive interactions between forces that stand for the healthy development of cross-Straits relations are not only conducive to amplify the voices of the silent majority in Taiwan society, but also help curb secessionists and steer cross-Straits relations back to the track of peaceful, stable development.

On Wednesday afternoon, Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced that the Chinese mainland will soon resume tourism by Shanghai residents to islands of Kinmen and Matsu.

Chen Binhua, a spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office, said the latest resumption is a concrete measure that responds to the fervent aspirations of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits for closer exchanges and interactions, and echoes the mainstream public opinion in Taiwan for peace, development, exchanges and cooperation. 

"We express our full support for this and welcome its fruition," Chen said.