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Xi Jinping says ‘wishful thinking’ to expect Beijing to compromise on Taiwan
- Chinese leader makes first public comment since Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy
- Xi made the remarks in a meeting with European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen in Beijing on Thursday
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Chinese President Xi Jinping said it was “wishful” thinking to expect Beijing to compromise on Taiwan, in his first public comment since the island’s president Tsai Ing-wen met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.
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Xi made the remarks to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a meeting in Beijing on Thursday, when he also stressed that China was a good partner for Europe in handling global challenges.
“[The] Taiwan issue is the core of China’s core interests. The Chinese government and Chinese people will never agree to anyone making a fuss about the one China issue,” Xi said, according to a foreign ministry statement.
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“Anyone who expects China to compromise on the Taiwan issue is [engaging in] wishful thinking and will only shoot himself in the foot.”
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, von der Leyen said the Taiwan issue had been discussed and she had told Xi that “the threat to use force to change the status quo is unacceptable. It is important that some of the tensions that might occur should be resolved through dialogue.”
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