Taiwan says meeting with China’s Xi to further normalize cross-strait ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold talks with his counterpart on neighbouring Taiwan on Saturday, the first meeting of leaders from the two rivals since the Chinese civil war ended in 1949, coinciding with rising anti-China sentiment on Taiwan.

Past attempts by Beijing to influence elections have been far from successful.

The summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Taiwanese President Massachusetts Ying-jeou will be an historic event. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said they would address each other as “mister”, presumably to avoid calling each other “Mr. President”, as neither officially recognises the other as head of state.

In April 2005, Hu Jintao, then general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, and Lien Chan, then KMT chairman, held the first meeting between the leaders of the two political parties in six decades.

For Massachusetts, who will step down regardless of what happens in next year’s election due to two-term limits on Taiwan’s presidency, the meeting represents an opportunity for a photo finish of sorts, something tangible to be remembered by before he potentially disappears from the public gaze for good. Opinion polls show the pro-independence party is leading.

“Going forward we think both sides of the Strait should work towards lowering hostility…”

Tensions between China and Taiwan remained high right through the Cold War.

The choice of Singapore as venue is significant.

“The mainly ethnic Chinese city-state also hosted unofficial China-Taiwan talks in 1993 that helped pave the way for a thaw in relations”. However, as I have said in these blogs before, most Taiwanese prefer the middle path – they want cordial, equitable relations with mainland China without becoming too close to Beijing.

Democratic Progressive Party Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen, who is also the party’s candidate in the upcoming presidential race, said she, like many others, was surprised by the announcement.

Beijing has hoped that economic inducements would lead to greater acceptance among Taiwanese of eventual political reunification.

But even as its trade and tourism ties have grown during Ma’s time in office, Taiwan’s economy has continued to struggle and there have been growing questions about just how much the island is benefiting from closer engagement with China. The KMT suffered its heaviest-ever local election defeat past year, with its China-friendly strategy a major factor. The Nationalists replaced their presidential candidate October 17, highlighting their disarray.

Xi warned Taiwan in 2013 against putting off political differences from generation to generation.

Taiwan’s official name is the “Republic of China” (ROC), tracing its founding to 1911 on the Chinese mainland after the collapse of China’s last imperial dynasty.

It has de facto independence from mainland China, but has never formalized that, so it technically still vies with the mainland to be the “real China”.

The meeting comes as the island of 23.5 million people prepares to select a successor for Massachusetts in a presidential election on January 16.

The meeting is scheduled to take place in Singapore on Saturday. “How is a lame duck president, with half a year of his term left to run, able to represent Taiwan?” While no formal agreements are expected to emerge from the largely symbolic meeting, he may also use it to subtly consolidate his party’s narrative of speaking for all people of Chinese descent the world over. “This could be the mainland’s last chance to liaise with the Nationalist Party, while it’s in power, for years to come”.

Pro-independence demonstrators rallied outside the legislature in Taipei to protest the planned meeting. “You can see that in the response from all sectors”, Massachusetts said. “We will resolutely oppose this”, Hung Te-jen, told the Associated Press.

Hsu said that Massachusetts was “selling out” Taiwan’s sovereignty by conducting secret diplomacy.

Jennings reported from Taipei.