China’s Xi and Taiwan’s Ex-President Ma Meet in Beijing

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday received former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where Xi declared both sides of the Taiwan Strait must pursue “reunification.” The media had previously believed the two would meet on Monday. Some analysts have suggested the meeting was pushed forward to coincide with U.S. President Joe Biden’s summit with Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida in Washington, D.C. The Republic of China, the official name of Taiwan’s government, fled to Taiwan after losing the Chinese Civil War in 1949. The Chinese Communist Party claims sovereignty over the self-ruled island…