The situation in the Taiwan Strait is “complex and grim”, Chinese President Xi Jinping wrote in a congratulatory letter on Sunday to the newly elected leader of Taiwan’s main opposition party, who has pledged to renew talks with Beijing.

Taiwan’s Kuomintang (KMT) elected as their leader on Saturday former New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu, who said he would rekindle stalled high-level contacts with China’s ruling Communist Party.

China claims Taiwan and is now exerting pressure through military and political means to make Taiwan a Chinese-controlled territory. However, the majority of Taiwanese do not want to be ruled by Beijing.

Xi wrote that the two parties had “good interaction” based upon their shared opposition to Taiwan independence. A copy was provided by KMT.

“The current Taiwan Strait situation is complicated and dire. Xi wrote that all the children and grandchildren of China must unite and work together to move forward.

“Seeking peace in Taiwan Strait,” seeking national reunification, and seeking national revival was his hope.

Chu lost 2016’s presidential election to President TsaiIng-wen. He replied to Xi by saying that all people in the Taiwan Strait were the “children of the Yellow Emperor”, which is Han Chinese.

After pursuing anti-China policy, Chu blamed Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party(DPP) for the tensions between Beijing and Chu.

Chu met Xi in China 2015 and said he hoped for “common ground” and to respect differences. He also expressed his desire to increase trust, mutual understanding, and reciprocity and to strengthen cooperation and exchanges so that cross-strait relations can continue to develop peacefully.

After a 17 month tenure as KMT leader Johnny Chiang, high-level relations with China were slowed by military tensions and suspicions in Beijing that the party wasn’t committed enough to Taiwan being part “one China”.

The KMT lost the 2016 elections and was defeated in the last election after they failed to dispel DPP allegations that they were Beijing’s spies.

China is refusing to meet with Tsai. They call her a separatist. Tsai claims Taiwan is an independent nation called the Republic of China. Taiwan’s official name is Republic of China. Only Taiwanese have the power to determine their future.