Taiwan opposition leader meets Xi in visit to China
China will “absolutely not tolerate” independence for Taiwan, the main culprit in undermining peace in the Taiwan Strait, President Xi Jinping has told the island’s opposition leader, calling for efforts to advance “reunification”.
Cheng Li-wun, head of Taiwan’s largest opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), is in China on what he calls a peace mission to ease tensions at a time when Beijing is stepping up military pressure against the island it claims as its own territory.
Meeting at the Great Hall of the People for the first time in more than a decade, Xi told Cheng that today’s world is not completely peaceful and that peace is valuable.
“The citizens on both sides of the Strait are all Chinese; people of one family who want peace, development, change and cooperation,” he said in a comment made by Taiwanese television stations on Friday. he said.
According to a separate publication in state media, Xi said both sides of the strait belong to “one China”.
“When the family is harmonious, everything is successful,” he said.
“Taiwan independence is the chief culprit in undermining peace in the Taiwan Strait; we will absolutely not tolerate or condone it.”
Xi also touched on the elusive issue of unity between China and Taiwan, a long-time goal of Beijing but rejected by the Taiwanese government.
“The KMT and the Communist Party should reinforce mutual political trust, maintain positive interaction, unite citizens on both sides of the Bosphorus, and join hands to create a bright future for the reunification of the homeland and national revival.” he said.
China refuses to talk to Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, saying he is a “separatist”.
Lai’s administration called on Cheng to tell China to stop its threats and said Beijing should contact the democratically elected government in Taipei.
The KMT ruled all of China until the government of the Republic of China fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing the civil war with the communists of Mao Zedong, who founded the People’s Republic of China.
No peace agreement or ceasefire was signed, and to this day neither government officially recognizes the other.
Cheng told Xi that mutually beneficial cross-Strait relations are what people on both sides long for, and interactions and exchanges should be reciprocal.
“I, Li-wun, sincerely hope that someday in the future, I will have the opportunity to welcome and host General Secretary Xi and everyone else here in Taiwan,” he said, using Xi’s title as communist party chief. he said.
Cheng said he hopes that thanks to the efforts of both sides, the Taiwan Strait will no longer be the focal point of a potential conflict and will definitely not become “a chessboard where external powers can interfere.”
He said both sides of the Strait should plan and build institutional and sustainable mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation.
The United States is Taiwan’s most important international supporter and arms supplier, despite the lack of official diplomatic ties.
Beijing has repeatedly demanded that Washington stop arming Taipei.
The United States supported the Taiwanese government’s plans to increase defense spending.
