Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Cheng Li-wun, a senior representative of the Taiwanese opposition, in Beijing on Friday. Cheng is the first Kuomintang (KMT) leader to lead a party delegation to mainland China for a week-long visit in more than a decade.
The meeting is being watched closely around the world as the Chinese leader has stepped up efforts to reunify Taiwan, strictly enforcing his one-China policy since taking over in 2012 and giving it a high military and diplomatic priority.
China claims Taiwan as part of its own and vows to reunify it with the mainland.
- “This is the common voice of our people. The leaders of our two parties meet today to safeguard the peace and stability of our common homeland, promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, and enable future generations to share a bright and beautiful future.”
Meanwhile, China refuses to talk to Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, saying he is a “separatist”. Lai Ching-teo’s administration urged Cheng Li-won to pressure China to stop its threats, saying Beijing should instead engage directly with Taiwan’s democratically elected government in Taipei.
