Between mainland calls for reunification and military displays on the island, tensions are at a new high. But for these two, there’s a reason why stalemate never gets stale
South China Morning Post
Date: 21 Jul 2018
By: Rana Mitter
When Taiwan proudly displayed its second tranche of US-made Apache attack
Taiwanese soldiers stand guard in front of US-made Apache attack helicopters on Wednesday. Photo: EPA
helicopters, its leader Tsai Ing-wen sent a clear a message to Beijing when she called the assertive display “an important milestone” in the island’s defences.
The message struck a tone in stark contrast to the atmospherics around a high-profile meeting in Beijing just days before between the representatives of two organisations which spent much of the last century at each other’s throats: the Communist Party and the Kuomintang.
Lien Chan, former vice-chair of the Kuomintang on Taiwan is no stranger to the Chinese capital. But his invitation to talk to President Xi Jinping hinted at the mainland cooling down the temperature over an issue that has been the subject of frequent hawkish comment in Chinese circles in recent months: the “resolution” of the Taiwan question of unification, whether consensually or otherwise.
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