BEIJING: China’s President Xi Jinping emphasized his firm stance against Taiwan’s independence during a meeting with Taiwanese opposition figure Cheng Li-wun in Beijing on Friday. Xi conveyed confidence that the people of Taiwan and mainland China share a common destiny, expressing hope for eventual reunification.
Cheng, who leads the Kuomintang (KMT), is the first opposition leader from Taiwan to visit China in over ten years. During their discussions, Xi highlighted the ongoing trend of increasing closeness between people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, calling it an “inevitable historical process” that China fully supports.
“The overall direction of greater cooperation and eventual unity among our peoples will not change,” Xi stated, according to Taiwanese media reports. He also expressed China’s willingness to engage in dialogue with Taiwanese groups, including the KMT, on the basis of opposing Taiwan independence.
Cheng assured Xi that the Taiwan Strait would cease to be a potential flashpoint for conflict and suggested that both sides should move beyond political disputes. She also mentioned that Xi responded positively to her idea of fostering Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, such as Interpol, and regional trade agreements.
The visit by Cheng comes amid domestic political debates in Taiwan over a proposed NT$1.25 trillion (approximately $39 billion) defense budget, which has faced opposition and delays in parliament, especially from the KMT and other opposition parties.
Defense and Cross-Strait Relations
Cheng’s trip is timed ahead of a scheduled summit between US President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Beijing next month. The United States has been urging Taiwanese opposition legislators to support increased defense spending, including acquiring US-made weapons.
Cheng has publicly criticized the Taiwanese government’s proposed defense budget, stating, “Taiwan shouldn’t be treated as an ATM,” and has instead advocated for her party’s plan to allocate NT$380 billion ($12 billion) for US military equipment, with room for additional purchases.
While the KMT regularly maintains exchanges with Chinese officials, the last party leader to visit China was Hung Hsiu-chu in 2016. Cross-strait relations have significantly cooled since Tsai Ing-wen’s successor, Lai Ching-te, was elected, as Beijing views him as a separatist.
Upon arriving in Shanghai on Tuesday, Cheng remarked that “war is not inevitable for the Taiwan Strait,” countering fears expressed by the international community. During her visit, she also traveled to Nanjing to pay respects at the mausoleum of Sun Yat-sen, a revered figure in both Chinese and Taiwanese history.
