Taiwan’s opposition leader Cheng Li-wun arrived in China for “peace” talks on Tuesday (7 April). Her visit to the country is the first by a leader of the Kuomintang (KMT), currently Taiwan’s largest opposition party, in more than a decade.
Cheng’s trip comes at a time of increased Chinese military pressure on Taiwan as Beijing views Taiwan as its own territory. Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control and refuses to speak to Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, saying he is a “separatist.”
Meanwhile, Cheng’s KMT, which holds a majority in parliament together with a smaller party, has stalled the Taiwanese government’s plans for $40 billion in extra defence spending for the island.
Speaking to reporters at the KMT headquarters in Taipei before heading out on the trip, she described her visit as a “historic journey for peace.”
"If you truly love Taiwan, you will seize even the slightest chance, every possible opportunity, to keep Taiwan from being ravaged by war," she said.
"So I would rather believe that all Taiwanese people hope this trip will succeed, because we can transform the most dangerous place in the world into the safest place in the world."
Speaking in Taiwanese capital Taipei on Tuesday, President Lai expressed his desire for equal talks with China.
"Equality and dignity are extremely important: Taiwan is not a part of the People's Republic of China and has the right to pursue a way of life that values democracy, freedom, and human rights," he said.
At parliament, speaking separately, Taiwan's top official in charge of China policy, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng, said Beijing should engage with Taiwan's democratically elected and legitimate government.
"We call on Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun, when facing the Communist Party authorities in person, to demand that they immediately stop their compounded pressure against Taiwan, including military aircraft and naval harassment," he said.
China is yet to confirm whether Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet Cheng, who will be in the Chinese capital Beijing from Thursday.
The KMT-led republican government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong's communists.
Cheng is going to China a month before U.S. President Donald Trump's scheduled summit with Xi in Beijing.
While Trump and Xi could strike goodwill agreements in Beijing on trade in agriculture and aircraft parts, they are also expected to discuss areas of deep tension such as Taiwan, where little progress is expected.
The U.S. military began a blockade of Iran's ports on Monday, President Donald Trump said, and Tehran threaten...
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has refused to join a U.S.-led blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, distancing Britain from military escalation after f...
Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States will meet later in Washington to discuss a ceasefire, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubi...
Iran's ports were blocked by the U.S. military on Monday (13 April), President Donald Trump confirmed. Tehran has threatened to retaliate again...
U.S. President Donald Trump warned that any Iranian ships approaching ports in the Strait of Hormuz would be "immediately elimi...
Iran's ports were blocked by the U.S. military on Monday (13 April), President Donald Trump confirmed. Tehran has threatened to retaliate against its Gulf neighbours' ports and a U.S. official said there was continued engagement with Iran, and forward motion on trying to get to an agreement.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned that any Iranian ships approaching ports in the Strait of Hormuz would be "immediately eliminated" on Monday, as the U.S. started its blockade.
Tensions in the Gulf have sharpened dramatically after reports that the United States has begun a blockade of Iranian ports, a move already rippling through global markets and political circles.
An Indian healthcare provider plans to invest $50 million in diagnostic and pharmaceutical projects in Uzbekistan’s Namangan region, aiming to expand access to advanced medical services between 2026 and 2028.
Israel has reprimanded Spain’s most senior diplomat in Tel Aviv after a giant effigy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was blown up in a Spanish town.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned that any Iranian ships approaching ports in the Strait of Hormuz would be "immediately eliminated" on Monday, as the U.S. started its blockade.
Nine suspects were arrested on Saturday (11 April) in connection with a terror attack targeting a police post in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district.
Millions of Orthodox Christians across the globe celebrated Easter, known as Holy Pascha, on Sunday (12 April) with midnight liturgies, candlelight processions and deeply rooted local traditions reflecting centuries of faith.
Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violating a 32-hour ceasefire introduced to mark Orthodox Easter on Saturday (11 April). Russian officials said Ukrainian drones attacked targets in the Kursk and Belgorod border regions, injuring five people.
A U.S. federal judge has dismissed Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, marking a setback in his ongoing legal battles with major media organisations he accuses of publishing misleading coverage.
Hungary’s election winner Péter Magyar has said he does not support Ukraine’s fast-track entry to the European Union and will uphold an opt-out allowing Hungary to avoid contributing to a €90 billion EU loan for Kyiv.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is on a five-day visit to China, his fourth trip in four years, highlighting Spain’s push to strengthen economic and strategic relations with the world’s second-largest economy.
Hungary’s political landscape is entering a new phase after voters brought an end to the long rule of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, with analysts pointing to economic discontent and governing fatigue rather than a decisive ideological break.
Millions of people in Sudan are surviving on just one meal a day as the country’s worsening hunger crisis pushes communities closer to famine, humanitarian organisations have warned.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment