The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday said it would make public any plans by its lawmakers to visit China amid media speculation that Beijing has invited KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) to lead a delegation there in June.
The KMT would not make any unannounced visits to other countries, KMT Culture and Communications head Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀) said, urging the public to refrain from speculating about the matter.
Chu highly values the party’s exchanges with China and the US as they contribute to regional peace and stability, she said, adding that KMT Vice Chairman Andrew Hsia (夏立言) has made trips to both nations in the past few weeks to that end.
Photo: Taipei Times
The KMT maintains friendly and beneficial ties with the other side of the Strait and foreign friends to ensure all parties understand Chu’s and the KMT’s stand on the issues, she said.
Earlier, a source said on condition of anonymity that Beijing has invited the KMT, which has captured a plurality of seats in the legislature, for talks to reopen negotiations on a proposed, but never ratified Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement.
The Taiwan People’s Party was invited, but declined to attend the talks in June following the May 20 presidential inauguration, they said.
China’s wishlist for negotiations includes legislation allowing Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship four years after marriage instead of the current six, they said.
Beijing would allegedly push the KMT to change the national curriculum to include materials promoting its “one China” principle and narratives claiming Taiwan is one family with China, they said.
Chinese officials arrived at the idea to talk to the KMT about these matters following former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) visit to Beijing, as previous discussions with Hsia earlier this year did not yield the results they hoped for, the source said.
Beijing is also considering using Taiwanese entrepreneurs and non-governmental organizations as go-betweens in negotiations to avoid drawing attention to itself, the source said.
However, it is not a given that the KMT would concede to China’s demands or accept the invitation, as it fears damaging its electoral potential, they added.
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