TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) met Chinese Communist Party (CCP, 中國共產黨) General Secretary Xi Jinping (習近平) in Beijing on Friday (April 10). The meeting at the Great Hall of the People (人民大會堂) began at 11 a.m. with both leaders delivering 10-minute speeches.
The meeting marked the first between KMT and CCP leaders in nearly a decade, featuring a 14-second handshake between Cheng and Xi. The heads of Taiwan's main opposition party and China's ruling party held open and closed-door sessions, with the KMT delegation, Chinese officials, and invited advisers in attendance. The summit aimed to promote cross-strait peace and dialogue.
Cheng arrived in Beijing on Thursday as part of a scheduled visit to China, which also includes stops in Nanjing and Shanghai. She arrived at the Great Hall of the People around 9:50 a.m., preceded by KMT officials who prepared for the summit. The visit marks the first trip by a KMT chair to meet Xi.
Cheng scheduled an international press conference for 2 p.m. at the China World Hotel (中國大飯店) in Beijing following the meeting. She said earlier that she accepted Xi's invitation to visit China. Cheng said she was willing to meet President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) either before or after the trip. ◼
