China's Xi Talks Peace With Taiwan's Opposition Leader Even As Beijing Raises Military Pressure

BEIJING - At an different gathering Friday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping talked pinch Taiwan’s main guidance leader astir shared civilization and bloodlines, earlier declaring that unification of nan land pinch nan mainland is simply a "historical inevitability."

The gathering pinch Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of nan Nationalist Party, comes amid heightened hostility successful nan Taiwan Strait complete stepped-up subject drills by China and Beijing’s disdain for American arms income to nan island.

While it did not nutrient a expansive announcement, nan timing of nan meeting, conscionable weeks earlier President Donald Trump is expected to sojourn Beijing, suggests that Xi is seeking to show that China tin wield governmental power successful Taiwan arsenic good arsenic flex its might.

At a news convention Friday, Cheng neither afloat embraced nor rejected China’s long-held extremity of reunifying pinch Taiwan, a self-governed land of 23 cardinal people, wherever fears of a early Chinese subject incursion person been a specter haunting life for decades.

“We dream to consolidate a unchangeable relationship,” Cheng told reporters. “This must beryllium done step-by-step. General Secretary Xi and I are very pragmatic astir this.”

Cheng Li-wun leaves a property convention successful Beijing connected Friday.Kevin Frayer / Getty Images

Cheng’s pivot toward China has made her a divisive fig successful Taiwan, wherever she was erstwhile a student activistic pushing for nan island’s independence. Back then, she was known for her disapproval of nan statement she now leads, besides known arsenic nan Kuomintang aliases KMT, because of its lukewarm ties pinch Beijing.

The handshake pinch Xi successful nan ornate East Hall astatine nan Great Hall of nan People, a abstraction usually utilized for gathering overseas heads of state, underscored nan reversal successful governmental beliefs for Cheng.

At a clip erstwhile subject support from nan United States is successful question, Cheng, 56, reiterated her position that Taiwan must forge a adjacent relationship pinch Beijing if it wants to support bid and debar a conflict.

“We must do everything successful our powerfulness to forestall a warfare successful nan Taiwan Strait,” Cheng told NBC News successful an question and reply past period successful Taipei. “Instead of being a troublemaker, we request to beryllium a peacemaker,” she said.

Opening her multiday sojourn to China connected Tuesday, Cheng visited Nanjing, which was nan superior of China erstwhile it was ruled by nan Kuomintang. It was aft their conclusion by nan Chinese Communist Party successful 1949 that nan KMT fled to Taiwan, which was ne'er conquered by nan Chinese Communist Party.

Xi’s outreach to Cheng came on pinch overt swipes astatine Taiwan’s existent authorities nether President Lai Ching-te, who is shunned by Beijing arsenic a vulnerable ‘separatist’ for rejecting China’s declare that Taiwan is its territory.

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te during a sojourn astatine nan Songshan subject aerial guidelines successful Taipei successful 2025.I-Hwa Cheng / AFP via Getty Images

“'Taiwan independence' is nan main culprit destroying bid successful nan Taiwan Strait,” said Xi, who was joined by cardinal members of nan Politburo Standing Committee, according to an charismatic readout of his gathering pinch Cheng. “We perfectly will not tolerate it aliases let it,” he added.

Not openly discussed astatine nan gathering was a awesome flashpoint successful China’s relations pinch nan United States: arms sales.

In Taiwan, Cheng’s guidance to Lai’s projected $40 cardinal summation successful defense spending complete nan adjacent 8 years has stalled support of nan government’s budget. The hold could besides jeopardize a $14 cardinal U.S. arms package that was already put connected clasp by nan Trump management to not irritate Xi earlier nan May summit.

Asked by NBC News if U.S. arms income to Taiwan came up successful Cheng’s gathering pinch Xi, a KMT typical replied successful a matter message: "No."