CHINESE leader Xi Jinping recently met former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou in Beijing, a rare act of diplomatic engagement between the two sides seemingly designed to spotlight the Communist Party’s willingness to talk to the island’s opposition.
The two septuagenarians shook hands before each delivering remarks while seated across from each other in a large conference room inside the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday afternoon.
“If war breaks out between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, it’ll be unbearable for the Chinese nation,” he added. “Chinese people on both sides of the strait are definitely wise enough to handle various disputes peacefully and avoid conflicts.” Holding a Xi-Ma meeting around the same time as the US gathering could be an effort to contrast Beijing’s “supposedly peaceful handling of cross-strait ties with the defense-oriented components of the trilateral,” said Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore.
In contrast to the bonhomie between Xi and Ma, Chinese officials have condemned Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party and its incoming president, Lai Ching-te, as “separatists” who risk starting a war. Taiwan has warned China is likely to step up its pressure on Lai, including militarily, before and after he is inaugurated in May.
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