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Taiwan Opposition Party Senior Leader To Visit China. PHOTO/Reuters
TAIPEI – A senior leader of the Kuomintang (KMT), the main opposition party Taiwan will visit China this week and meet with Taiwan’s policy makers. This was revealed by the KMT, Monday (6/2/2023).
The visit will take place amid continuing military and political tensions between the two sides. Over the past three years, China has been increasing pressure on Taiwan to accept Chinese sovereignty, including carrying out regular military exercises near the democratically ruled island.
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As Reuters reported, the KMT said its Deputy Chair Andrew Hsia would leave for China on Wednesday (8/2/2023) and meet Song Tao, the newly appointed head of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, in a rare high-level interaction between top politicians from Taiwan and China remembers the current tensions.
“Hsia, a former Taiwan diplomat and former head of the Taiwan Mainland Affairs Council, and her delegation will carry out exchanges and dialogue on the basis of equality and dignity,” the KMT statement said.
“They will “reflect Taiwan’s recent public concerns about the safety of the Taiwan Strait and hopes for regional peace and stability,” the statement continued.
The KMT has traditionally favored close ties with China, but has steadfastly denied being pro-Beijing. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said it welcomed Hsia’s visit.
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Hsia visited China last August, in a trip condemned by the Taiwan government, shortly after Beijing held war games near Taiwan to express anger over US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei.
China has refused to talk to President Tsai Ing-wen’s administration since she took office in 2016, believing her to be a separatist, and has frequently rejected calls from Tsai to resume dialogue.
The KMT maintained its outreach to China, saying it was important to keep lines of communication open.
(esn)
