Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman Andrew Hsia (夏立言) on Thursday thanked US lawmakers for their support of Taiwan, adding that the KMT would strive to improve inter-parliamentary exchanges as the majority party in the legislature.
Hsia, currently visiting the US, made the remark during a meeting with US representatives Mario Diaz-Balart, chair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, and Ro Khanna, a member of the House Armed Services committee, KMT assistant director of international affairs Howard Shen (沈正浩) said.
The KMT vice chairman told the two lawmakers that his party’s foreign policy is to show an affinity toward the US, pursue friendship with Japan and make peace with China, Shen said.
Photo courtesy of the KMT
Hsia also discussed the KMT’s stance on US-Taiwan relations, cross-strait relations and Legislative Yuan reform with the staff of several US senators on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and extended an invitation for them to visit their KMT counterparts, Shen added.
He traveled to the US to see old friends, exchange views about the KMT’s future with academics and think tanks, and explain the KMT’s national defense policy to the US, Hsia told reporters in Washington on Friday.
He also made it clear to the US that the KMT supports Taiwan increasing its defense budget and purchasing arms, and that comments by its members at the legislature should not be interpreted as opposition to efforts toward strengthening Taiwan’s defensive capabilities, Hsia added.
However, in addition to strengthening Taiwan’s defenses, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait must also have channels for dialogue and communication, he said, citing the meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in Beijing as a good example.
The KMT has always supported the promotion of dialogue and communication that are conducive to cross-strait stability and peace, Hsia said, adding that Ma’s visit to China is a plus for the KMT.
Hsia said he is to visit Shaoxing City in China’s Zhejiang Province later this month to participate in cultural activities to honor Xia Yu, also known as Yu the Great, the founder of the Xia Dynasty.
The organizers have invited him to the annual event for the past three years, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it could only be held remotely, he said.
Hsia has been on back-to-back visits to China in February and last month, earning media criticism for the frequency of his trips.
His visits were to serve Taiwanese entrepreneurs there, as there are about 150 Taiwanese trade associations in China, and attend cultural events to which he was specifically invited, Hsia said in response.
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