Xi Jinping, China’s president, told Taiwan’s opposition leader he is “full of confidence” that people on both sides will eventually be reunited, adding that both are “Chinese” and the future of relations lies in the hands of the Chinese people.
He said: “Compatriots on both sides of the strait are all Chinese—people of one family who want peace, development, exchange, and cooperation.” Xi added that the world today is not entirely at peace and that peace is extremely valuable.
He said: “This is the common voice of our people. The leaders of our two parties are meeting today in order to safeguard the peace and stability of our shared homeland, to promote the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, and to allow future generations to share in a bright and beautiful future.”
Xi Jinping stressed that China is ready, based on a shared position opposing Taiwan independence, to expand communication and dialogue with various political parties, including the Kuomintang, in order to “firmly hold the future of cross-strait relations in the hands of the Chinese people themselves.”
Cheng Li-wun, chairman of Taiwan’s Kuomintang party, has traveled to China for what he described as a “peace mission,” aimed at easing tensions at a time when China has increased military pressure on the island, which it considers part of its territory.
China refuses to engage with Taiwan’s president, labeling him a “separatist.” Taiwan’s government has urged the Kuomintang leader to tell China to stop its threats, stressing that Beijing should engage with Taiwan’s “democratically elected government.”
