Saturday’s carefully choreographed first meeting between the presidents of China and Taiwan in neutral Singapore made history but highlighted the rift between the US government and the likely next leader of the self-ruled island.

The US welcomed the “meeting between leaders on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and the historic improvement in cross-strait relations in recent years”, the state department said, and encouraged “further progress by both sides towards building ties, reducing tensions, and promoting stability on the basis of dignity and respect”.

But Tsai Ing-wen, leader of the independence-leaning opposition Democratic Progressive party and frontrunner to succeed President Ma Ying-jeou in January’s presidential election, condemned Mr Ma for meeting Xi Jinping, his Chinese counterpart, and pledged to “use democracy to reverse the damage caused by the Ma-Xi meeting”.