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| The Kuomintang defeats the ruling Democratic Progressive Party in local elections in Taiwan in November 2022. (Reuters) |
The Chinese Kuomintang in Taiwan announced on Monday (February 6, 2023) that party vice chairman Xia Lixin will lead a delegation to visit mainland China on February 8 and meet meeting Song Tao, the head of the State Council of China's office for Taiwan affairs. The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council welcomed Xia Lixin's visit. Xia Lixin visited the mainland six months ago during the PLA's large-scale lock-down military exercise. He was condemned by the Taiwan government led by the Democratic Progressive Party and criticized by some members of the Kuomintang party.
The Kuomintang said in a press release on Monday that the three priorities of Xia Lixin's trip were "caring for the Taiwanese people in mainland China, reflecting the public opinion at the grassroots level, and communicating with people related to Taiwan in the mainland." Song Tao, director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, and other officials conducted exchanges and dialogues, reflecting the latest public opinion in Taiwan's concerns about the security of the Taiwan Strait and their expectations for regional peace and stability.
The Kuomintang stated that it will adhere to the position of "defending the Republic of China, safeguarding Taiwan's democracy, and maintaining regional peace", and will not sit idly by in the face of the current deadlock in cross-strait relations and governance difficulties. face-to-face conversations. The statement said that after the delegation returns to Taiwan, it will truthfully reflect what it has seen and heard to Taiwanese society and government units, so as to facilitate the formulation and promotion of follow-up policies.
In August last year, in retaliation for the then US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, the CCP regime conducted large-scale intimidating military exercises and launched ballistic missiles around Taiwan. During the period, Xia Liyan led a delegation to visit mainland China,
After returning to Taiwan, Xia Liyan said that the trip had achieved results. He also said that the Kuomintang worked hard to communicate with the other side, but the government itself was unwilling or unable to communicate, so "the Kuomintang should be thanked."
In this regard, the DPP government criticized Xia Liyan for echoing the melody of the united front across the strait, conveying wrong messages, and causing serious harm to the overall interests of the country.
The MAC calls on the Kuomintang to recognize clearly that the Beijing authorities are the ones who disrupt the peace across the Taiwan Strait. They should strongly oppose Beijing's claims and actions of invading Taiwan, and should not fall into the trap of the CCP's inferior operation of creating a one-China government and blaming the government.
The Taipei spokesperson of the State Council of China welcomed Xia Lixin's visit in a statement on Monday. The CCP is willing to cooperate with the Kuomintang on the common political basis of adhering to the "92 Consensus" and opposing Taiwan's independence.
In November last year, Taiwan held nine-in-one county and mayor local elections. The largest opposition party, the KMT, won 13 seats in the 21 county and mayor elections, while the Democratic Progressive Party led by Tsai Ing-wen only won 5 seats. This election result increases the chances of the Kuomintang returning to power in the 2024 general election.
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