Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is to raise the issue of Taiwan in his talks with US President Barack Obama next week, the Chinese government said yesterday.
Xi’s visit comes just months before Taiwan’s presidential election in January, in which the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is expected to be thrashed by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
China has been stepping up its rhetoric against the DPP as the vote nears.
“The Taiwan issue is the most important, most sensitive issue in Sino-US relations,” Ma Xiaoguang (馬曉光), spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, told a regular briefing in Beijing after being asked if Taiwan would feature on the Xi-Obama agenda.
“We believe that, when the leaders of China and the United States meet, they will exchange views on important issues of mutual concern,” Ma said, without elaborating.
Beijing was alarmed in June when the DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), the party’s presidential candidate, visited Washington to rally support from US officials and politicians.
Tsai has said she favors “maintaining the ‘status quo’” when asked about her China policy.
Ma said mainstream public opinion in Taiwan wanted to continue with developing good relations with China.
“We believe that only by upholding ... opposition to ‘Taiwan independence’ can the path to the peaceful development of cross-strait ties be maintained and broadened,” he said.
POLITICAL AGENDA: Beijing’s cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival events are part of a ‘cultural united front’ aimed at promoting unification with Taiwan, academics said Local authorities in China have been inviting Taiwanese to participate in cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations centered around ideals of “family and nation,” a move Taiwanese academics said politicizes the holiday to promote the idea of “one family” across the Taiwan Strait. Sources said that China’s Fujian Provincial Government is organizing about 20 cross-strait-themed events in cities including Quanzhou, Nanping, Sanming and Zhangzhou. In Zhangzhou, a festival scheduled for Wednesday is to showcase Minnan-language songs and budaixi (布袋戲) glove puppetry to highlight cultural similarities between Taiwan and the region. Elsewhere, Jiangsu Province is hosting more than 10 similar celebrations in Taizhou, Changzhou, Suzhou,
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
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