Xi Jinping told Taiwan opposition leader Cheng Li-wun that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are Chinese and that the future of relations lies in their hands, during a meeting in Beijing on Friday.
Cheng, chairwoman of Taiwan’s largest opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), is in China on what she has described as a “peace mission” aimed at reducing tensions, as Beijing continues to increase military pressure on the island it claims as its territory.
Call for Unity and Stability
Meeting at the Great Hall of the People, Xi said the world is not entirely at peace and stressed the importance of stability.
“Compatriots on both sides of the strait are all Chinese people of one family who want peace, development, exchange, and cooperation,” he said.
He added that the meeting between the two parties’ leaders was intended to safeguard peace and stability, promote the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, and ensure a better future for coming generations.
Xi also said China was willing, on the shared political foundation of opposing Taiwan independence, to strengthen dialogue and exchanges with various political parties, including the KMT.
Cheng Pushes for Dialogue
Cheng said she hoped that through joint efforts, the Taiwan Strait would no longer be a flashpoint for conflict or a “chessboard for outside forces to intervene in”.
She called for both sides to establish more structured and sustainable mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation.
Political Tensions Remain
China continues to refuse engagement with Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, describing him as a “separatist”.
Taiwan’s government has urged Cheng to press Beijing to halt military and political pressure, while maintaining that dialogue should take place with the island’s democratically elected leadership.
The United States remains Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier, despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations, and has supported Taipei’s plans to increase defence spending.
(with inputs from Reuters)
