Taiwan opposition leader arrives in China on a 'journey for peace'

The first such visit in years comes before Presidents Xi and Trump meet in May.

- BY E. EDUARDO CASTILLO AND SIMINA MISTREANU

Taiwanese opposition leader Cheng Li-wun arrived in China on Tuesday at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, in what she's calling a “journey for peace” as Beijing pushes for the self-ruled island to come under its control.

The visit is the first by a Taiwanese opposition leader in a decade and comes ahead of a meeting in Beijing between Xi and President Trump scheduled to take place in May.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's opposition-controlled parliament has stalled attempts by its government to pass a $40-billion special defense budget, expected to fund arms deals with the United States and the development of Taiwan's indigenous defense industry.

China claims the self-ruled island as its own territory and has not ruled out using force to seize it. Beijing has been ramping up its military pressure against the island by sending warplanes and naval vessels near it almost daily, while its military occasionally stages live-fire drills around the island, the latest in December.

The U.S. State Department said such activities “increase tensions unnecessarily” and called on Beijing to cease military pressure against Taiwan.

Before leaving Taipei, the chair of the Kuomintang party told reporters that Taiwan must spare no effort to prevent war and seize any opportunity to promote peace.