Xi Meets Taiwan Opposition, Stirs Controversy

0:00On April 10th, China's president Xi Jinping just held a rare sit-down with Taiwan's opposition leader, Cheng Li-won, the head of the Kuomintang Party. This marks the first such meeting in 10 years. She's stressed that folks on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are all Chinese and share a desire for peace. Cheng arrived in Beijing after stops in other Chinese cities, including Nanjing, tied to the Kuomintang's history before they retreated to Taiwan in. In 1949, she called her trip a peace mission and pushed for Taiwan to shift from conflict hotspot to a peace symbol. Back home, the visit stirred up big backlash. Critics slam Cheng for getting too cozy with Beijing, especially as most Taiwanese now identify mainly as Taiwanese, not Chinese. Her pro-closer ties stance clashes with the ruling party's push for independence vibes. Tensions run high with China's ramped up military drills around Taiwan and fights over a $40 dollar defense budget that the opposition blocked.

1:01Analysts say Beijing's hosting chung aims to split Taiwan's politics in sway U.S. arms sales talks ahead of Xi's meet with Trump next month. As Taiwan eyes its 2028 elections, this move spotlights the deep divide over how to handle Beijing peace through dialogue or beefed up. This is keeping the straight on edge for whatever comes next.