KMT Vice Chairman Zhang Ronggong to Attend 18th Straits Forum

Zhang Ronggong, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang Party (KMT), will lead a delegation to the 18th Straits Forum in Xiamen, Fujian Province, on June 13, 2026, as confirmed by the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office at a regular press conference on Wednesday. The announcement, made by spokesperson Zhang Han, comes as Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) issued an unprecedented ban prohibiting central and local government personnel from attending the forum, highlighting deepening political divisions over cross-strait engagement.

Context: The Straits Forum

Established in 2009, the Straits Forum is the largest grassroots civil exchange platform between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, focusing on people-to-people connectivity rather than government-to-government dialogue. Over 100,000 Taiwanese participants have attended since its inception. The 18th edition, themed “Expanding Civil Exchanges, Deepening Integrated Development,” will feature 58 activities across four major sections: grassroots exchanges, youth exchanges, cultural exchanges, and economic exchanges, according to Xinhua News.

The KMT Delegation

Zhang Ronggong, 76, a veteran of cross-strait relations with over 200 trips to the mainland, will lead a delegation that includes KMT Mainland Affairs Director Zhang Yaping, Deputy Director Peng Guosheng, and think tank deputy executive directors Shen Jianyi and Wu Yiding. The delegation signals the KMT’s continued commitment to party-to-party dialogue with the Chinese Communist Party under the “1992 Consensus” framework, following KMT Chairperson Cheng Li-wen’s April 2026 meeting with President Xi Jinping — a meeting Zhang Ronggong helped facilitate.

Spokesperson Zhang Han stated that “all preparatory work for the forum is basically complete, and forum series activities are being carried out across Fujian Province.” The forum was first announced on June 3 by Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Zhu Fenglian.

Taiwan’s Escalating Restrictions

On June 4, Taiwan’s MAC Deputy Chairperson Liang Wenjie announced a ban on central government agencies and local government personnel from attending the Straits Forum, characterizing it as “the largest cross-strait united front platform organized by mainland China.” This marks a significant escalation from the previous year’s policy, which only “recommended” against attendance. As reported by Lianhe Zaobao, Liang Wenjie stated that KMT personnel “are not within the government’s regulatory scope and do not need to apply to the government,” effectively acknowledging that the ban targets government officials while leaving political party participation unrestricted.

The ban has sparked controversy in Taiwan, with some commentators and netizens calling for the abolition of the MAC if it obstructs cross-strait exchanges. Taitung County Magistrate Rao Ching-ling had applied to attend before the ban was announced, and it remains unclear whether any local officials will defy the prohibition.

Zhang Ronggong: A Veteran Cross-Strait Interlocutor

Zhang Ronggong’s attendance carries particular significance given his decades-long role in cross-strait relations. Born in Taipei with ancestral roots in Zhao’an, Fujian, he served as a secret envoy during the Lee Teng-hui era and was a key architect of the 2005 Lien-Chiang Peace Journey, which produced the “Five Common Visions for Cross-Strait Peaceful Development.” He has served under five KMT chairpersons and participated in virtually every major cross-strait dialogue mechanism since the 1990s, including the second Koo-Wang Talks in 1998 and four Lien-Xi meetings between 2013 and 2018.

According to Nandu N Video, former KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou, who led a Taiwanese youth delegation to the 17th Straits Forum in 2025, previously stated: “The peaceful development of cross-strait relations is the common expectation of people on both sides. The natural emotional bond between Chinese people on both sides of the strait cannot be severed, and civil exchanges across the strait are unstoppable.”

Analysis: Diverging Paths on Cross-Strait Engagement

The contrasting approaches of the KMT and the DPP administration highlight a fundamental divide in Taiwan’s cross-strait policy. The KMT under Chairperson Cheng Li-wen is actively pursuing party-to-party dialogue with the CCP, positioning itself as a bridge for cross-strait communication. Following the Cheng-Xi meeting in April 2026, 10 measures benefiting Taiwan were announced, including regular KMT-CCP communication mechanisms, youth exchange platforms, and infrastructure connectivity between Fujian and Kinmen/Matsu.

Meanwhile, the DPP administration under President Lai Ching-te has taken an increasingly cautious approach. The MAC ban represents a hardening stance that raises legal questions about the council’s authority to restrict local government engagement in civil exchanges. This creates a clear political contrast: the KMT is sending a high-level delegation while the DPP is actively discouraging participation.

What to Watch For

As the forum convenes on June 13, several key questions remain: Will any Taiwan local government officials defy the MAC ban? What specific outcomes or agreements might emerge from the 58 planned activities? And how will the KMT’s visible participation at the forum affect domestic political dynamics in Taiwan, particularly as the island approaches future elections?

The 18th Straits Forum, despite political headwinds, continues to function as a channel for people-to-people connectivity — a reminder that civil exchanges often persist even when official government-to-government dialogue is strained.