Special to WorldTribune.com

By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com

President Xi Jinping has made progress in his long-cherished goal of starting political or “reunification” talks with Taiwan, which would eventually lead to some form of political union between the two political entities on either side of the Taiwan Strait.

Xi earlier this week met in Beijing with Lien Chan, the honorary chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT), which is the ruling party in Taiwan.

While Lien has no official position in the Taiwan government, the former vice-president of the self-ruled island has tremendous clout with senior KMT cadres, including KMT Chairman and President Ma Ying-jeou.

This gave Xi a golden opportunity to buttress his “united front diplomacy” so as to win over different sectors in Taiwan, which has become economically dependent on the mainland market.

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  KMT, Lien Chan, Ma Ying-jeou, With unofficial start of Beijing-Taipei talks, Xi Jinping launches campaign for Taiwan hearts and minds