BEIJING — In a significant diplomatic development, Taiwan’s opposition party leader held a historic meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, marking the first high-level encounter of this nature in more than a decade. The meeting focused on maintaining stability and peace surrounding the self-governing island that Beijing considers part of its territory.
During the gathering, both Xi and Cheng Li-wun, who leads the pro-Beijing Kuomintang Party, expressed their commitment to pursuing peaceful reunification between Taiwan and mainland China, although the specific path to achieving this goal remains undefined. Despite talk of peace, China continues to maintain that military action remains an option and has intensified its military activities near Taiwan, deploying naval vessels and military aircraft closer to the island while systematically reducing Taiwan’s diplomatic partnerships worldwide.
Xi greeted Cheng and her delegation to enthusiastic applause from attendees on both sides. “The larger trend of compatriots on both sides of the strait walking nearer, closer, and together will not change. This is a historical necessity. We have full confidence in this,” he said.
“Although people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait live under different systems, we will respect each other and move towards each other,” Cheng said, adding: “We will seek systemic solutions to prevent and avoid war.”
Cheng’s visit to Beijing began Tuesday following stops in Shanghai and Nanjing.
The Kuomintang leader has consistently positioned herself as an advocate for peaceful relations between Taiwan and China. She has resisted significant increases to Taiwan’s military budget, and her party continues to obstruct President Lai Ching-te’s special defense funding proposal for weapons procurement, including development of the Taiwan Dome air defense system with missile interception capabilities.
The island has maintained separate governance from China since 1949, following a civil conflict that brought Communist forces to power in Beijing. The defeated Kuomintang military and political leadership retreated to Taiwan, establishing their own administration there.
Both leaders expressed support for the 1992 Consensus while rejecting Taiwan’s independence.
The 1992 Consensus represents an informal understanding, never officially documented, acknowledging that both Taiwan and China belong to one China. The KMT interprets this as “One China” with different understandings of what constitutes China, though the Communist Party has never recognized this distinction.
Cheng stated that both parties would collaborate to ensure “the Taiwan Strait will no longer be a flash point with the possibility of conflict, and will not become a chess piece played by the outside world.”
