KMT applies for visit by mainland's Taiwan affairs head

Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang (KMT) yesterday officially filed an application for the visit of Beijing's top official on cross-Straits affairs to the island next month.

The China News Agency (CNS) reported that the application was submitted to the "immigration office" under Taiwan's "ministry of interior" by the KMT think-tank "National Foundation for Policy Research."

The application covers a 66-member delegation led by Chen Yunlin, director of the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

Chen, also minister of the Taiwan Affairs office of the State Council, was invited by the KMT to attend a planned cross-Straits agriculture forum in Taipei in mid-October.

If approved, he would be the highest-ranking mainland official to visit the island since 1949.

The CNS report said the mainland delegation consists of government officials, heads of relevant trade associations and agricultural firms and experts on cross-Straits studies.

Among the mainland participants are representatives from some of the largest trade and agricultural firms such as the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Co-operatives and fruit companies from Shanghai, Changchun and Wuhan, according to the report.

"Some delegation members are expected to sign agreements of intent with local farmers' groups to buy Taiwan's agricultural products," the report said.

The KMT think-tank yesterday also published the schedule for the high-profile event, which is to run on October 22 and 23.

The mainland delegation will then go to Taiwan's central and southern regions on October 24 and 25 before leaving on October 26.

The KMT think-tank urged the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration to facilitate the planned visit of Chen to the agricultural forum so as to open a new era for cross-Straits relations.

"We hope the DPP administration will consider future cross-Straits ties from a macro view and consider Taiwan's agricultural development from the standpoint of local farmers," it was quoted as saying by the CNS.

Early this month, the Taiwan Affairs Office also asked the DPP administration to positively handle Chen's planned trip in a pragmatic way and offer necessary convenience.

The pro-independence DPP administration turned down Chen's planned visit to Taipei for a forum on cross-Straits economy and culture in mid-December last year.

In a related development, Zheng Lizhong, executive vice-minister of the Taiwan Affairs Office, yesterday met a delegation of Taiwan's federation of industries headed by Chairman Preston W. Chen.

Zheng encouraged more Taiwan entrepreneurs to invest on the mainland to help promote closer cross-Straits economic co-operation.

Source: China Daily