During his stay in Singapore, Xi Jinping is set to meet with Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou on Saturday - a historic first. [Special coverage]
The upcoming meeting has drawn a lot of public attention both in China and other countries.
The meeting is seen by many as a breakthrough, as the two sides have become tightly linked through the launch of direct flights, trade deals and tourism in recent years.
Li Yihu is head of the Taiwan Institute at Peking University.
"For leaders from both sides of the Strait to meet and exchange views on peaceful development is very important for maintaining peace and promoting mutual development. We should band together to promote cross-Straits relations, as this can accumulate more positive energy to promote even better development of relations across the Strait"
Li says that although the meeting may seem sudden to some observers, it actually follows the trend of history and developments in cross-Straits relations over the years.
Shen Byi-yao, honorary chairman of the National Association for China's Peaceful Unification, a U.S.-based non-profit organization, has lauded the meeting as a positive development.
"I think the meeting is an important chance to promote cross-Straits peaceful development."
The meeting between Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou will be the first of its kind since the end of the civil war and the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.
The meeting will take place in two parts: one will be open to the media, and the other will take place behind closed-doors.
