Image: Yeni Safak English

Xi Jinping Meets Taiwan Opposition Leader Cheng Li-wun, Demands End to Taiwan Independence

10 April, 2026.China.7 sources

Key Takeaways

Xi met Kuomintang chair Cheng Li-wun in Beijing.
One-China stance reaffirmed; Taiwan reunification pursued.
Xi offered to work with all Taiwanese parties to advance cross-strait ties.

Historic Xi-KMT Meeting

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Kuomintang chair Cheng Li-wun in Beijing on April 10, marking the first meeting in over a decade.

“EnglishInternational Xi and Cheng reaffirm one-China stance, oppose Taiwan independence in Beijing KMT chief Cheng meets Xi in Beijing, urging peaceful cross-strait dialogue on a shared anti-independence basis By Lee Eun-young Published 2026”

Chosunbiz

Xi framed the encounter as a step to safeguard our common foundation and promote peaceful development of cross-strait relations.

Chosunbiz

Cheng reciprocated by calling for reconciliation and framing cross-strait engagement as a choice between peace and war.

The meeting came amid intensified Chinese military pressure on Taiwan and parliamentary blockage of a $40 billion defense budget.

Xi told Cheng that Taiwan independence is the chief culprit destroying peace in the Taiwan Strait.

The encounter was widely seen as Beijing's attempt to widen outreach beyond the KMT while maintaining red lines that exclude the DPP.

Divergent Death Toll Reports

The Rahman Textile factory fire resulted in a tragic loss of life with death toll estimates varying across sources.

The Bangladeshi government and Reuters reported at least 28 workers killed.

CNA

The Dhaka Tribune and Guardian cited 33 confirmed dead.

Al Jazeera correspondents at three local hospitals counted at least 41 fatalities.

Witnesses told the BBC that the factory's main exit was locked when the fire broke out.

Police detained factory owner Faisal Rahman, with exits welded shut to prevent worker theft.

Survivors and Strike Call

Survivors described workers pounding on locked metal doors as smoke filled the stairwells.

“TAIPEI, Taiwan — Chinese leader Xi Jinping met, on April 10 in Beijing, with the head of Taiwan's opposition, amid an intensification of Chinese military pressure on the island and parliamentary blockage of a large defense investment plan”