China Will Not Tolerate Independence for Taiwan Says Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping has come down hard on Taiwan’s opposition leader during a rare face-to-face at the Great Hall of the People, making it crystal clear that independence moves won’t fly and the island’s future stays tied to the mainland.

According to Reuters and other outlets covering the talks live, Xi sat down with Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Kuomintang party, and told her straight up that “Taiwan independence is the chief culprit in undermining peace in the Taiwan Strait, we will absolutely not tolerate or condone it.” He added that people on both sides of the strait are Chinese, said “when the family is harmonious, all things will prosper,” and called for pushing ahead with reunification while keeping dialogue open on the basis of opposing any split. Cheng described her six-day trip as a “journey for peace” aimed at easing tensions and getting exchanges back on track, even as Beijing keeps the military pressure high with regular drills around the island. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party back home slammed the visit right away, saying only Taiwan’s own people get to decide their path.

This situation is happening after many years of being split, going all the way back to 1949 and the Chinese Civil War. After the war the Nationalists went to Taiwan and started their own government, and the Communists were in charge of mainland China. The KMT (Nationalists) always believed in one China and in fact supported the 1992 Consensus as a way to communicate. However, relationships have been very cold since the DPP (Taiwan’s current ruling party) became the government and Beijing stopped having official contact. The last time a KMT leader at the time had a meeting with the Chinese president was over ten years ago, with Ma Ying-jeou, and since the present government, things have been difficult.

This meeting might allow both sides to have more informal talks and calm things down, and that’s especially relevant as Xi Jinping is meeting with President Trump next month. However, in Taiwan, a lot of people are upset already, saying it lets Beijing use it for good publicity and doesn't consider what Taiwanese citizens as a whole are for. And if the DPP is inflexible and doesn't compromise, we could see China being more aggressive with military movements or a complete breakdown in relations across the Taiwan Strait. That would make the connection between them more difficult than ever, and neither side would have an easy way to improve it.

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