China's Xi talks peace with Taiwan's opposition leader even as Beijing raises military pressure

Chinese leader Xi Jinping talked with Taiwan’s main opposition leader about shared culture and bloodlines, before declaring that unification is an "inevitability."

BEIJING - At an unusual meeting Friday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping talked with Taiwan’s main opposition leader about shared culture and bloodlines, before declaring that the "great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" is a "historical inevitability."

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The meeting with Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Nationalist Party, comes amid heightened tension in the Taiwan Strait over stepped-up military drills by China and Beijing’s disdain for American arms sales to the island.

While it did not produce a grand announcement, the timing of the meeting, just weeks before President Donald Trump is expected to visit Beijing, suggests that Xi is seeking to show that China can wield political influence in Taiwan as well as flex its might.