April 10, New Delhi: Chinese leader Xi Jinping welcomed the leader of Taiwan's main opposition party for a rare meeting in Beijing.
Chairwoman of Taiwan's largest opposition party, Cheng Li-wun, is in China on what she has described as a peace mission to reduce tensions at a time when Beijing has stepped up military pressure against the island it claims as its territory.
Meeting Xi in Beijing, Cheng said Taiwan should "no longer be a flashpoint for potential conflict" and instead become "a symbol of peace jointly safeguarded by Chinese people on both sides of the strait."
The meeting comes ahead of a mid-May summit with US President Donald Trump, where Xi could continue efforts to dilute Washington's support for Taiwan.
Cheng's stance appears increasingly at odds with mainstream opinion in Taiwan, where polling suggests that two-thirds of people identify primarily as Taiwanese.