MAC criticizes KMT's participation in Beijing forum with CCP

Taipei/Beijing, Feb. 3 (CNA) The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Tuesday accused the Kuomintang (KMT) of "ignoring growing hostility" after it joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in expressing opposition to an independent Taiwan during a forum in Beijing.

The forum, themed "prospects for cross-strait exchanges and cooperation," was held at the China World Hotel, Beijing, and is widely seen as paving the way for a possible meeting between KMT Chairperson Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) and Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平).

At the forum, Song Tao (宋濤), director of China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said the CCP and the KMT must oppose "Taiwan independence" to ensure "the correct direction of cross-strait relations."

He added that Beijing would continue rolling out policies to promote cross-strait economic cooperation while showing no leniency toward "Taiwan independence forces" and external interference.

He called on Taiwanese political parties and civic groups to "be on the right side of history" and uphold peace across the Taiwan Strait by "resolutely opposing intervention by Taiwan independence separatist and external forces."

Echoing Song, KMT Vice Chairman Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) said Taiwan independence must be resisted, adding that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait were ethnic Chinese and should work together to rejuvenate the Chinese nation.

He added that the KMT hoped the forum would help explore ways to revitalize Taiwan's industries, particularly tourism and cross-strait economic cooperation, and address shared concerns such as medical care for aging populations, climate change, disaster prevention, AI, renewable energy and carbon reduction.

Lee Hong-yuan (李鴻源), deputy chair of the KMT-affiliated National Policy Foundation, later said that forum participants from both sides agreed on "15 shared recommendations," including promoting group tours to Taiwan from China's Fujian province and Shanghai, as well as strengthening exchanges among cross-strait businesses, research institutions and industry groups.

In Taipei, however, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said the KMT's participation ignored what he described as growing hostility from Beijing.

This included military aircraft and naval activity, diplomatic and economic coercion, as well as attempted "cross-border suppression" targeting Taiwanese military personnel, government officials, and civilians, which Chiu said was the real cause of deteriorating cross-strait relations.

"Listening to his [Song's] remarks, it felt more like a lecture than an exchange," Chiu said.