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Taiwan Opposition Leader in C 04/08 05:56
BEIJING (AP) -- Taiwan opposition leader Cheng Li-wun arrived in China on
Tuesday at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, in what she's calling a
"journey for peace" as Beijing pushes for the self-ruled island to come under
its control.
The visit is the first by a Taiwanese opposition leader in a decade and
comes ahead of a meeting in Beijing between Xi and U.S. President Donald Trump
scheduled to take place in May.
Meanwhile, Taiwan's opposition-controlled parliament has stalled attempts by
its government to pass a $40 billion special defense budget, expected to fund
arms deals with the United States and the development of Taiwan's indigenous
defense industry.
China claims the self-ruled island as its own territory and has not excluded
the use of force to take it. Beijing has been ramping up its military pressure
by sending warplanes and naval vessels around the island almost daily, while
its military occasionally stages live-fire drills nearby, the latest in
December.
The U.S. State Department said such activities "increase tensions
unnecessarily" and called on Beijing to cease military pressure against Taiwan.
Before leaving the capital, Taipei, the chairwoman of the Kuomintang party
told reporters that Taiwan must spare no effort to prevent war and seize any
opportunity to promote peace.
A few dozen supporters and detractors of Cheng showed up at Taipei's
airport, chanting and holding signs.
"The purpose of this visit to mainland China is precisely to show the world
that it is not just Taiwan that unilaterally hopes for peace," Cheng said.
"I believe that through this journey for peace, everyone is even more eager
to see the sincerity and determination of the CPC Central Committee to use
peaceful dialogue and exchange to resolve all possible differences between the
two sides," she added, referring to the initials of the Communist Party of
China.
China takes issue with US arms sales to Taiwan
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday relations with Taiwan
were part of China's internal affairs.
"China's opposition to military ties between the U.S. and Taiwan is
consistent and clear," spokesperson Mao Ning said.
Beijing has repeatedly criticized U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, in particular a
massive deal announced by the Trump administration in December, valued at more
than $11 billion, that includes medium-range missiles, howitzers and drones.
China prohibits all its diplomatic partners, including the U.S., from
maintaining formal ties with Taipei. The U.S. is the island's strongest
informal backer and arms provider, and the arms sale is expected to be
discussed at the Xi-Trump summit.
In a call in February between Xi and Trump, the Chinese leader said that
"Taiwan will never be allowed to separate from China," according to a Chinese
government statement about the conversation released at the time. "The U.S.
must handle the issue of arms sales to Taiwan with prudence," it added.
Beijing also said that the "Taiwan question is the most important issue in
China-U.S. relations."
Taiwan's ruling and opposition parties hold different stances toward Beijing
It was not clear if Cheng was going to meet with Xi as part of her six-day
trip to China, which started in the eastern metropolis of Shanghai and is set
to conclude in Beijing.
The KMT, as Taiwan's main opposition party, is not in a position to strike
agreements with Beijing that would affect the entire island; however, Cheng
might sign party-to-party cooperation agreements with the Communist Party to
reinstitute regular dialogue or boost ties at a municipal level between
KMT-controlled localities and Chinese cities, said Wen-Ti Sung, a fellow with
the Atlantic Council, an American think tank.
Cheng's visit "may sideline the Taiwan Strait tension issue from the
Xi-Trump summit, thus enabling the U.S.-China summit to focus on business areas
of common interest rather than geostrategic points of contention," Sung said.
The KMT has proposed a smaller defense budget and criticizes the governing
Democratic Progressive Party's larger budget as a "blank check" for arms
purchases.
Cheng's visit contrasts sharply with Beijing's treatment of Taiwanese
President Lai Ching-te, with whom China does not engage, labeling him a
"separatist."
Taiwan has been governed separately from China since 1949, when a civil war
brought the Communist Party to power in Beijing. Defeated KMT forces fled to
Taiwan, where they set up their own government.
Lai's party views Taiwan as a sovereign country, not a subordinate to China.
The KMT, meanwhile, officially recognizes only one China, which it interprets
as the Republic of China that before 1949 included the mainland and today is
Taiwan's official name.
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