Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) and Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) will discuss “macro-level” issues during their planned meeting, which is likely to take place on May 27 or May 28, a KMT official said yesterday.
KMT Deputy Secretary-General Chang Jung-kung (張榮恭) told reporters that the meeting, which will mark the first official meeting between the leaders of the ruling parties of both Taiwan and China, will be organized through the KMT-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) communication platform.
Chang declined to specify details of the topics Wu and Hu will touch upon, but said that Wu hoped to communicate both the platform of president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and mainstream public opinion in Taiwan toward the Chinese side during the trip.
When asked if Wu and Hu will talk about direct charter flights and increasing the number of Chinese tourists to Taiwan, Chang said they will talk about “vision” and “direction,” adding that “it is natural for them to talk about issues people care about.”
Wu accepted Hu’s invitation on Saturday to visit China to initiate a new round of KMT-CCP negotiations following tomorrow’s transition of power.
KMT Secretary-General Wu Den-yi (吳敦義) said the chairman felt Hu was sincere in wanting to improve cross-strait relations and accepted the invitation to seek increased exchanges.
Such exchanges, he said, would help Ma carry out his campaign platform.
Wu Poh-hsiung, who will be the first ruling party chairman to visit China, will arrive in Nanjing on next Monday, meet Hu in Beijing and visit Taiwanese business groups in Shanghai before returning to Taiwan on May 31.
Wu Poh-hsiung, along with 16 high-ranking party officials, will pay homage to Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙) at Sun’s tomb in Nanjing.
“This is a very important stop, where we will report to [former KMT] chairman Mr. Sun Yat-sen that the KMT has come into power in Taiwan again,” Chang said.
Chang said Wu Poh-hsiung will not pay a visit to the earthquake-hit area during his trip to avoid hindering disaster relief work in Sichuan.
Among the 16 party officials who will participate in the trip are KMT Vice Chairman John Kuan (關中), Wu Den-yi, Vice Legislative Speaker Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權) and KMT caucus whip Lin Yi-shih (林益世).
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