Xi invites Taiwan’s opposition leader to first visit in decade

CHINA has invited the leader of Taiwan’s opposition party to visit the mainland next month, the first such trip by a sitting leader of the Kuomintang since 2016.

Chinese President Xi Jinping personally extended the invitation to Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun for the trip from April 7 to 12, the official Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday. She and her delegation are invited to visit Jiangsu, Shanghai and Beijing.

Officials will now coordinate arrangements for the six-day tour, the report said, citing Song Tao, head of Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office. This follows Cheng’s repeated interest in visiting the mainland since she won her party’s leadership role in October. BLOOMBERG