Taiwan’s leader Massachusetts Ying-jeou challenged Chinese President Xi Jinping over missiles trained on the island and complained about its global isolation at their landmark summit Saturday. “We are brothers linked by blood”.
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In his reply, President Xi told the leader ‘We are one family.
China regards the island as a renegade province, but there are significant trade and cultural relations between the two. Don’t let the two sides meet up.
After defeat by the Communists during the civil war in 1949, the Nationalist Chinese government under Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan, and since then relations between China and Taiwan have been one of the biggest flashpoints in the region.
We feel like old friends…
“Both sides should respect each other’s values and way of life”, he said, in an indirect plea for China to recognize Taiwan’s democracy.
“But at the same time”, Sui continues, “we have to look at it from the perspective of what has happened in Taiwan over the last few years”. “Now before our eyes there are fruits of conciliation instead of confrontation”, he said.
Taiwan lost its United Nations seat to China in 1971 and only 22 states formally recognise the island, which has led to marginalisation on the global stage, a key point of resentment for Taiwanese.
New Power Party (NPP) legislative candidate Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said: “All the Ma-Xi meeting achieved was having Ma’s lies exposed”.
The opposition Democratic Progressive Party is leading Ma’s Nationalist Party in the polls, and indications are the Nationalists could lose both the presidency and the legislature for the first time.
Today, China insists Taiwan is part of its territory and, naturally, prefers self-ruled Taiwan be called Chinese Taipei or the Republic of China.
“More importantly, the Taiwan people’s right to choose freely”. Though politically divided for decades, business and investment ties have flowered.
Video: What Was Chinese Visit Worth?
Demonstrators say they will gather outside the presidential office in Taiwan Saturday afternoon as the summit gets under way.
Overnight around 100 protesters tried to storm the heavily guarded Parliament building in Taipei carrying “Taiwan independence” banners, but were stopped by the police.
Will handshake change anything…
Massachusetts and President Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet for an hour behind closed doors at the Shangri-la Hotel before having dinner together.
To preserve neutrality and avoid conferring any legitimacy on the other’s government, they will address each other as “mister” rather than president.
Xi stressed the importance of Asians solving Asia’s problems, an argument he has consistently pursued since taking over China’s leadership in late 2012.
Taiwan’s ruling party suffered its heaviest local election defeat past year, with many observers saying its policies aimed at forging closer ties with Beijing were a factor.
“What would be interesting is to hear a take from both leaders on how the very different political systems in both places can be reconciled in any future deepening of ties”. “They see it as potentially hurting Taiwan’s sovereignty and independence”.
Both China and Taiwan have said cross-strait peace and cooperation were on the agenda.
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“I don’t think he (Ma) could pull off anything dramatic in China”.
