Kuomintang

Kuomintang, also known as Guomindang or the Nationalist Party, is a political party founded by Sun Yat-sen and others in 1919 as the political successor to the Tongmenghui. The party's core ideology is the Three Principles of the People: nationalism, democracy, and the welfare of the people.

During the early 1920s the KMT formed the First United Front with the Chinese Communist Party, backed by the Soviet Union, to defeat warlords and unify the country. After the Northern Expedition (1926–1928) the party established a centralized government in Nanjing, led by Chiang Kai-shek during the so-called Nanjing decade.

Following the Chinese Civil War, the KMT was defeated by the Communists and retreated to Taiwan in 1949, where it established the government of the Republic of China. In Taiwan the KMT ruled under a one-party or dominant-party framework for several decades and remained a major political force after Taiwan democratization in the 1990s and 2000s; it has since been one of Taiwan's major political parties, alternating with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in elections.

In cross-strait policy, the KMT generally supports closer economic and cultural ties with mainland China while maintaining the ROC's sovereignty and a peaceful approach to eventual political settlement. The party has moderated its stance over time, seeking dialogue with Beijing.

Its emblem is the Blue Sky with a White Sun, which also appears on the flag of the Republic of China. The party uses blue and white as its colors. The KMT's organizational structure includes a national congress, a central committee, and a party chairman, with local chapters across Taiwan and among Chinese communities abroad.