MAC urges KMT chair not to echo Beijing agenda over planned China trip

Taipei, March 30 (CNA) Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Monday urged Kuomintang (KMT) Chairperson Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) not to cater to Beijing's political agenda after she accepted an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to visit China next week.

"We urge KMT Chairperson Cheng to take seriously the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) pressure and coercion against Taiwan, not to cater to its political agenda, and to avoid falling into the trap of united front tactics aimed at division," MAC said in a statement issued in the afternoon.

MAC is Taiwan's top government agency for handling cross-Taiwan Strait affairs.

The agency added that the Chinese authorities' ambition to eliminate the Republic of China (Taiwan's official name) and annex Taiwan "will not change simply because they engage in exchanges with any political party or individual in Taiwan."

MAC's statement came after Cheng, who heads the main opposition KMT, announced earlier Monday that she had "gladly accepted" an invitation from Xi to visit China from April 7-12.

During the six-day trip, which includes stops in Jiangsu, Shanghai and Beijing, Cheng is expected to meet Xi, who is also general secretary of the CCP.

Speaking at a press conference, Cheng said the trip will "show the people of Taiwan and the world one thing -- the two sides of the strait are not destined for war, nor do they need to remain on the brink of military conflict."

Cheng made the remarks after China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reported earlier in the day that Xi had extended the invitation, citing Song Tao (宋濤), director of China's Taiwan Affairs Office.

MAC said in its statement that the Taiwanese government is "closely monitoring" developments surrounding Cheng's planned visit to China.

The agency noted that no group may enter into "any political agreement" with the Chinese side without Taiwanese government authorization, nor may it engage in matters involving public authority.

DPP response

The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said in a statement that China continues to threaten Taiwan and other countries in the region. It is also trying to draw in Taiwan's opposition parties and have them accept a "common political foundation" with Beijing.

The DPP said the intention is clear, namely to divide Taiwan internally and undermine the unity of its people.

The ruling party also claimed that amid the KMT's continued blocking of the arms procurement budget in the Legislature, Beijing's arrangement of Cheng's visit to China further raises suspicions that the "Cheng-Xi meeting" is a trade-off for obstructing arms purchases.

DPP Secretary-General Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said at an event that he hoped Cheng would urge Xi to withdraw China's missiles aimed at Taiwan and stop using military aircraft, warships and other gray-zone tactics against the island country.