Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) is leading a 200-strong delegation to attend a high-level forum between the KMT and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) today in Guangzhou, China.
Among the politicians accepting invitations to join the trip were former People First Party (PFP) legislator Chiu Chung-liang (邱創良), who joined the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in 2007.
Former DPP legislator Hsu Jung-shu (許榮淑) and former Council of Agriculture chairman Fan Chen-tsung (范振宗) will also attend the three-day forum, which closes on Sunday.
Hsu said she would attend the event as the chairperson of the People United Party, shrugging off concerns over her pan-green background.
Chiu, on the other hand, said he had been invited by Hsu to attend the forum.
However, he said that he would respect the DPP’s decision when asked about DPP opposition to party members attending the forum.
DPP WARNING
DPP Taoyuan chapter director Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) yesterday said Chiu has not been very active on Taiwan’s political scene recently and had joined the People United Party.
If Chiu still holds DPP membership, he would be dealt with according to party regulations, Cheng said.
The KMT-CCP forum was initiated by former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰) during a visit to China in 2005.
It has been a major communication platform between the KMT and the CCP since before the KMT regained power in 2008.
The DPP has condemned the unofficial KMT exchanges with China and it has banned its own officials from attending the KMT-CCP forums.
It revoked party memberships for Hsu and Fan after they attended a KMT-CPP forum last year.
MA’S SEND-OFF
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who doubles as KMT chairman, met with Wu and the rest of the delegation at the Presidential Office yesterday.
He lauded the KMT-CPP forums for serving as a great venue for cross-strait exchanges.
He said he expected the delegation to further enhance cross-strait economic exchanges in the wake of the signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) with Beijing.
“The KMT-CCP forum has made great contributions in promoting cross-strait relations, and we expect the forum to continue promoting economic, cultural and educational exchanges between the two sides,” Ma said.
Wu and the delegation will attend the forum tomorrow and Sunday.
Wu is expected to visit Beijing after the forum and meet Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) to discuss cross-strait cooperation following the signing of the ECFA.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
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