© EPA-EFE/XINHUA / JU PENG CHINA In contrast to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party on the island, the opposition Kuomintang party promotes deeper relations with Beijing.
The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, informed Chen Li-won, the head of Taiwan's leading opposition group, the Kuomintang , who arrived in Beijing for a visit, that unification with the mainland is a “historical certainty” – marking the first such encounter in ten years, reports the FT.
“The present global situation is experiencing swift transformations… Yet, irrespective of the international circumstances… the powerful current of reconciliation and union of compatriots from both sides of the Taiwan Strait remains unchanged. This constitutes a historical inevitability,” expressed Xi, surrounded by members of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party Central Committee.
“Today's gathering of the leaders of both parties is intended to safeguard harmony and peace within our shared home,” he appended.
Xi also highlighted that, predicated on “opposing Taiwan independence,” Beijing “will collaborate with all political entities, groups, and individuals from every sector of society in Taiwan… to firmly maintain the future of cross-strait relations in the hands of the Chinese populace themselves.”
Chen articulated that the parties would “collectively initiate a venture to revitalize Chinese civilization.”
“Despite the reality that the populations on each side of the Taiwan Strait exist under differing systems, we shall respect each other and progress towards one another,” she pointed out.
During her six-day sojourn in China, Chen also made visits to Shanghai and Nanjing, where she appealed to both sides of the Strait to avert military clashes at the mausoleum of Kuomintang founder, Sun Yat-sen.
“China’s adversities never stemmed solely from external imperialistic forces, but largely from internal disputes and disagreements that resulted in reciprocal destruction,” she proclaimed.
Chen’s visit, which she characterized as a “historic journey for peace,” occurs as Beijing has augmented military strain on Taiwan following the election of William Lai, a representative of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, considered a “separatist” by China, to the presidency . Beijing asserts dominance over Taiwan and has not dismissed military intervention should the island resist indefinitely.
In contrast to the Democratic Progressive Party, the KMT has historically advocated for closer affiliations with Beijing. While interactions between the leadership of the island's foremost opposition party and Chinese functionaries are not unusual, no sitting KMT leader has convened with Xi since 2016.
Chen's expedition also transpired slightly over a month before US President Donald Trump's anticipated trip to Beijing in May, during which experts propose Xi will urge Washington to revise its position on backing Taiwan and lessen arms provisions to Taipei.