Xi tells Taiwan opposition leader reunification is 'certainty of history' in rare Beijing meeting

Chinese President Xi Jinping voiced confidence on Friday that Taiwan will “get together” with the mainland while hosting Taiwanese opposition leader Cheng Li-wun in Beijing.

"Compatriots on both sides are both Chinese, and we need peace, we need development, we need communication and we need cooperation. This is a common wish," Xi said, according to the South China Morning Post.

Xi said the historical trend that "compatriots of both sides of the strait will get closer and get together will not change, this is a certainty of history, and we are fully confident."

Cheng, chair of the Kuomintang (KMT) party, visited Jiangsu province and Shanghai before traveling to the capital, according to state-run news agency Xinhua. The KMT supports closer relations with China, which claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to seize it.

China severed high-level contact with Taiwan in 2016 after Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won the presidency and rejected Beijing's claims that the self-ruled island is part of its territory.

Cheng vowed "reconciliation" and "unity" across the Taiwan Strait during her visit to the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing, the capital of China’s eastern Jiangsu province. Sun was the founder of her party.

The last KMT chief to meet with Xi was over a decade ago, when then-Chair Eric Chu met him in China in 2015.

The visit is seen as an important step in dialogue and exchanges between the KMT and China’s Communist Party.

Cheng was elected KMT chair last October.

The visit has also assumed significance as Xi is set to host US President Donald Trump next month.

Washington has been the top arms supplier to Taipei, with the Trump administration approving a record $11 billion in arms sales last year, triggering protests and a backlash from Beijing, which sanctioned several US arms firms as well as their personnel.

Separately, Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te said on Friday that the day marks the 47th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act, "which has long served as a cornerstone for Taiwan-US relations."

On X, he expressed confidence that "our enduring partnership—spanning across security, trade, technology & more—will continue to spur innovation & help safeguard regional peace."

Tokyo downgrades China description

Ahead of the visit, Japan on Friday downgraded its China description in its 2026 Diplomatic Bluebook.

The annual report, submitted by Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi at a Cabinet meeting, refers to China as an "important neighbouring country" instead of "one of the most important bilateral relations" as in the 2025 edition, according to Kyodo News.

Japan's report said that China intensified "unilateral criticism and coercive measures" against Japan in 2025, while also stressing that Tokyo remains open to dialogue.Japan's report said that China intensified "unilateral criticism and coercive measures" against Japan in 2025, while also stressing that Tokyo remains open to dialogue.

The move comes amid strained bilateral ties since late last year, when Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said that any Chinese military action against Taiwan – including a naval blockade – could qualify as a "survival-threatening situation," enabling Japan to exercise its right to collective self-defence.