Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) upcoming China visit has a “pre-arranged itinerary” orchestrated solely by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), an official familiar with cross-strait affairs said yesterday.
Cheng on Monday said she has accepted an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to visit China from Tuesday until April 12.
The official, who declined to be named, said that when former KMT chairmen met with Xi, delegations often included KMT lawmakers, business groups and media, all departing Taipei together in a large entourage.
Photo: Reuters
However, this time the KMT confirmed that no lawmakers would accompany Cheng, and she would fly with a Chinese airline, the official said, adding that media access is restricted to a handful of outlets with correspondents based in Beijing, while the list of accompanying business groups has yet to be released.
“From this, it is clear that the Cheng-Xi meeting is inevitably confined within the CCP’s pre-set ‘one China’ framework,” the official said. “How can the Republic of China [Taiwan] be safeguarded under such circumstances?”
The official said that with Beijing tightly controlling information, it remains unclear what is to be discussed at the Cheng-Xi meeting, including whether Taiwan’s US arms purchases would be raised.
“A lot of business leaders are also afraid of being singled out by Cheng [to join the trip],” the official said, adding that many KMT lawmakers expressed relief at not joining the delegation, citing pressure from their constituencies and describing the prospect as “terrifying.”
The official said that no one in Taiwan opposes peace, but the greatest risk posed by the KMT lies in placing Taiwan’s future in the hands of China’s leaders.
“At the press conference [on Monday], Cheng repeatedly claimed that the Cheng-Xi meeting is in the pursuit of cross-strait peace and stability — but does she represent the mainstream public opinion for peace? At best, it is a one-way path toward unification, and in reality, it undermines Taiwan’s true peace,” the official said.
Cheng, in response to media queries on Friday, said that her China trip is for the purpose of cross-strait peace and stability, and has nothing to do with arms purchases or other issues.
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