Cheng Li-wun’s visit to Beijing has sparked controversy in Taiwan, with critics accusing her of being too close to China
In a rare meeting with Taiwan’s opposition leader, China’s leader Xi Jinping declared people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are Chinese and want peace.
Friday’s meeting in Beijing between Xi and Cheng Li-wun, the chair of Taiwan’s Kuomintang (KMT), is the first such contact in a decade. The visit has sparked controversy in Taiwan, with Cheng’s critics accusing her of being too close to China, a country that many in Taiwan see as a threat.
Cheng has previously said that it is a “very natural thing” to identify as Chinese – a stance that is increasingly at odds with mainstream opinion in Taiwan where polling suggests that two-thirds of people see themselves as being primarily Taiwanese.
Meeting Xi in Beijing, Cheng said that Taiwan should “no longer be a flashpoint for potential conflict” and should instead become “a symbol of peace jointly safeguarded by Chinese people on both sides of the strait.”
