Taiwan’s KMT to send high-level delegation to mainland China forum despite Taipei’s warnings against being‘united front tool’

Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang, will send a high-level delegation to take part in the annual Straits Forum in the mainland city of Xiamen later this week despite repeated warnings by the island’s authorities.

KMT vice-chairman Andrew Hsia will lead the delegation composed of senior officials, including those from the party’s mainland affairs department and national security research unit, to attend the two-day event that begins on Friday, the party said.

In a statement on Wednesday, the KMT said by sending its delegates to the forum, it hoped to help resume official exchanges and dialogues that have been suspended since 2016.

“Promoting mutual understanding and exchanges between the people across the strait should be one of the important jobs of all political parties” in Taiwan, it said.

As civilian exchanges resume in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the KMT wants to continue to act as a bridge between the island and the mainland to protect the interests of the Taiwanese people at a time when official exchanges remain blocked, according to the statement.

Beijing, which sees Taiwan as its territory and does not renounce the use of force to bring the island under its control, has suspended official exchanges and dialogues with Taipei since Tsai Ing-wen of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party was elected president in 2016 and refused to accept the one-China principle.

Most countries, including the US, do not see Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to a change of status quo by force.

“The KMT is willing to share the responsibility of helping revive the dialogues and exchanges between the two sides,” the statement said, adding the forum would be an effective platform to promote the peaceful development of cross-strait relations.

During his stay in Xiamen, Hsia is expected to meet Wang Huning, the head of Beijing’s top political advisory body, who will address the forum’s opening.

The forum is the largest non-political platform for the two sides to promote economic, cultural and grass-roots exchanges. It will be the 15th forum since the event was inaugurated in Xiamen in 2009, when the KMT’s Ma Ying-jeou was leader of the island.

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The KMT is not the only Taiwanese political party to attend the event. Several other opposition parties – including the pro-unification New Party and People’s First Party, as well as the mainland-friendly Taiwan People’s Party and Non-Partisan Solidarity Union – will also send representatives to this year’s forum, according to the mainland’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO).

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, the island’s top cross-strait policy planner, has warned Taiwanese groups and individuals against taking part in the event, saying the forum is a “united front tool” used by Beijing to make them drop their guard against a mainland attempt to attack the island.

It has also barred government officials from attending the event, and political parties or individuals could face judicial punishments if they reach or sign any agreements concerning the interests of the government and the island.

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TAO spokeswoman Zhu Fenglian said on Wednesday that around 5,000 people were expected to attend from the two sides, including members of the Taiwanese political parties.

“People of the two sides are a family and naturally they should have regular exchanges and be close to each other. The Straits Forum is a cross-strait civilian exchange event held many times over the years. What exactly are the DPP authorities afraid of?” Zhu said.

“Why does [the DPP] have to block it? It has time and again called for the resumption of cross-strait exchanges, but at the same time it has also openly threatened civilian groups and individuals from Taiwan who co-organise or participate in the event,” Zhu said.