Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) will meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) tomorrow to discuss cross-strait relations following the signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), the KMT said yesterday.
Wu and a delegation left for China on Friday to attend a KMT-Chinese Communist Party (CCP) forum in Guangzhou, China, yesterday and today. He will fly to Beijing after the forum and meet with Hu tomorrow.
“Former chairman Wu will visit Beijing after the forum under the invitation of Hu. The two will discuss issues concerning the ECFA and the benefits for people across the Taiwan Straits,” Chang Jung-kung (張榮恭), director of the KMT’s mainland affairs department, said in a statement.
Wu and Hu are expected to discuss the implementation and timetable of the ECFA tomorrow. The ECFA was signed on June 29 in Chongqing, China.
Addressing the opening ceremony of the KMT-CCP forum, Wu yesterday defended the ECFA and called for more cross-strait exchanges and peaceful cross-strait development.
“There has been many challenges and questions about the ECFA, but the KMT has confidence in the economic pact, and is willing to accept challenges. We believe the majority of the people are standing on our side,” Wu said.
Wu further stressed the importance of the KMT-CCP forum as more than unofficial exchanges between the two parties, and said the 200 delegates included members from various political backgrounds.
Business tycoons and politicians with a pan-green background have been included in the delegation to attend the forum. Among them are former People First Party (PFP) legislator Chiu Chung-liang (邱創良), who joined the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in 2007, former DPP legislator Hsu Jung-shu (許榮淑) and former Council of Agriculture chairman Fan Chen-tsung (范振宗).
The KMT-CCP forum was initiated by former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰) during a visit to China in 2005.
It has been a major communication platform between the KMT and the CCP since before the KMT regained power in 2008.
Lien yesterday issued a written statement to congratulate the annual forum, saying he expected the ECFA to facilitate cross-start economic cooperation.
“The two sides should discuss Taiwan and China’s participation in regional economic cooperation, and extend cross-strait economic development,” he said in the statement.
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