Taiwan opposition leader visits China for expected meeting with Xi Jinping

Taiwan opposition leader visits China for expected meeting with Xi Jinping34 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleKelly NgReutersThe leader of Taiwan's main opposition party has arrived in China and is expected to meet President Xi Jinping, in a closely-watched visit.Cheng Li-wun, who took over as Kuomintang (KMT) chairperson last year, said she "gladly accepted" President Xi Jinping's invitation to visit and hopes to be a "bridge for peace".She is expected to meet Xi later in her six-day trip which will span Shanghai, Nanjing and Beijing. Cheng is the KMT's first incumbent chief to visit China in a decade.Beijing cut off some communications with Taiwan after the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) Tsai Ing-wen became president in May 2016, citing Tsai's refusal to endorse the concept of a single Chinese nation.China sees self-governed Taiwan as a breakaway province that will eventually be part of the country, and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve this.Many in Taiwan consider themselves to be a sovereign nation. At the same time, most favour "the status quo", meaning they do not want to formally declare independence nor unification with China.On Tuesday Taiwan's ruling party, the DPP, criticised Cheng for being "subservient" to Beijing, noting that her trip would be "completely controlled" by the Communist Party.The DPP accused Beijing of being the "main culprit in disrupting regional peace", adding that China has continued to dispatch war planes and naval vessels around Taiwan.Premier Cho Jung-tai said the government would closely monitor Cheng's trip.Although the KMT has traditionally maintained warm ties with China, Cheng's eagerness to visit contrasts with her predecessors' more cautious approach towards cross-strait relations, some analysts say.Her trip comes amid growing scepticism about the US in Taiwan "largely stemming from [Do...