Chinese President Xi Jinping has met with the chair of Taiwan’s main opposition party in a landmark meeting, the first of its kind in a decade. Speaking from the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, President Xi declared that China “will absolutely not tolerate” independence for Taiwan, and called for the island’s reunification with the People’s Republic of China. Cheng Li-wun, who leads Taiwan’s KMT party, replied that the Taiwan Strait should no longer be a flashpoint for a potential conflict, and warned against “external interference” — an apparent reference to U.S. and Japanese support for Taiwan. Cheng has called her six-day visit to mainland China a “journey of peace.” It comes as Taiwan’s opposition-controlled parliament has stalled a proposed $40 billion increase in military spending. This is Cheng Li-wun.

Cheng Li-wun: “What should be flying in the sky are birds, not missiles, and what should be swimming in the sea are fish, not warships. Human technology should be used to seek well-being for humanity and for the Earth. Human technology should not be for mutual slaughter or for the destruction of ecosystems.”