Taiwan opposition chief leaves for China 'peace' mission

Taiwan opposition leader Cheng Li-wun left for China on Tuesday for a "peace" mission and a potential meeting with President Xi Jinping, as a senior Taiwanese minister detailed the number of Chinese warships currently deployed around the island.



Cheng, chairwoman of the Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan's largest opposition party, is travelling at a time of increased Chinese military pressure on Taiwan, which Beijing views as its own territory, and as the opposition-dominated parliament stalls a government plan for $40 billion in extra defence spending.



Speaking to reporters at her party's headquarters before going to the airport, Cheng said she was going on a "historic journey for peace" but admitted some people felt uneasy about her trip.



"If you truly love Taiwan, you will seize even the slightest chance, every possible opportunity, to keep Taiwan from being ravaged by war," she said.



"So I would rather believe that all Taiwanese people hope this trip will succeed, because we can transform the most dangerous place in the world into the safest place in the world."



China, which has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, refuses to speak to Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, saying he is a "separatist".