JAKARTA - Chinese President Xi Jinping met with the Chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT), Cheng Li-wun, in Beijing on Friday. Citing an Arab News report, Friday, April 10, during the meeting, Xi Jinping said he was "completely convinced" that the Chinese and Taiwanese people would eventually unite.
Cheng became the first KMT leader to visit China in a decade. The visit sparked debate in Taiwan, with critics saying Cheng was too close to Beijing.
In a conversation broadcast by Taiwanese media, Xi said the direction of relations between people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to get closer and become united would not change. According to Xi Jinping, it is an inevitable part of history.
On the other hand, Cheng emphasized the need to reduce tensions. He said he hoped the Taiwan Strait would no longer be a major point of potential conflict. According to Cheng, both parties need to go beyond political confrontation and find ways to prevent war so that the Taiwan Strait can be an example of peaceful conflict resolution.
Beijing and Taipei relations have been deteriorating for a long time. Still referring to the Arab News report, China cut off high-level contacts with Taiwan in 2016 after Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party won the presidential election and rejected Beijing's claim that Taiwan is part of China's territory.
Beijing itself continues to insist on taking over Taiwan and does not rule out the use of force. In recent years, China has deployed fighter jets and warships around the island almost every day, as well as regularly holding large-scale military exercises.
Tensions have been running high since the election of Tsai's successor, Lai Ching-te, who Beijing considers a separatist. On Friday, Lai wrote on Facebook that China's military threats in and around the Taiwan Strait and the archipelago chain had seriously undermined regional peace and stability.
Cheng arrived in Shanghai on Tuesday evening. Shortly after arriving, he said the two sides of the Taiwan Strait were not destined to fight, as the international community had long feared.
During the visit, Cheng also visited Nanjing in eastern China and paid a visit to the mausoleum of Sun Yat-sen, a revolutionary figure respected in both Beijing and Taipei.
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