The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) will continue its communications platform with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), former KMT chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) said yesterday, dismissing concerns that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) would weaken the role of the party-to-party platform.
The KMT-CCP platform was initiated in 2005 by former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰) during a visit to China and served as a major communications platform between the two parties until the KMT regained power in 2008 and the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) took charge of cross-strait negotiations.
The latest KMT reshuffle, in which the KMT’s Mainland Affairs Department former head Chang Jung-kung (張榮恭), a close aide of Lien, was replaced by Institute for National Development president Kao Huei (高輝), sparked concerns that the role of the platform would be weakened.
Wu said yesterday that Ma, who doubles as KMT chairman, still valued the platform, adding that the KMT would attend it again this year.
“The communications platform between the KMT and the CCP will still function because it remains an important channel for cross-strait communications,” he said after attending a cross-strait forum in Taipei yesterday.
The SEF and China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) have replaced the KMT-CCP platform in taking charge of cross-strait negotiations since Ma took office. They have held six rounds of cross-strait negotiations since 2008. negotiations since 2008.
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