BEIJING, September 24. /TASS/. Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to the United States expressed hope that Washington would oppose Taiwan’s independence, according to Xinhua news agency.

He also said that the United States should exercise caution on the Taiwan issue.

Taiwan has been governed by its own administration since 1949, when remnants of the Kuomintang forces, led by Chiang Kai·shek (1887-1975), fled to the island after a defeat in the Chinese civil war. Since then, Taipei has preserved the flag and some other attributes of the former Republic of China, which existed on the mainland before the communists came to power. Official Beijing considers Taiwan to be one of the provinces of the PRC.