TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) on Sunday (Sept. 13) stated that the Kuomintang (KMT) central committee will make its final decision on whether or not it will send a delegation to the Chinese city of Xiamen to attend a cross-strait forum.

The KMT had been ready to send a delegation, led by Wang, to attend the annual Straits Forum when Chinese state-owned network CCTV described Wang as a “messenger” for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), saying, “This man is coming to the mainland to beg for peace.” This triggered backlash within the KMT, prompting Party Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) to say on Facebook that the comment was totally unacceptable and that he expected an apology from China.

As for whether he plans on canceling the trip, Chiang said he has not ruled out anything yet, CNA reported.

Chiang and KMT Secretary-General Li Chien-lung (李乾龍) went to Wang’s office Sunday afternoon (Sept. 12) for a 30-minute private meeting. Regarding the content of their discussion, Wang only stated: "The Central Party Committee will make the final decision [Monday] night."

The committee’s decision currently depends heavily on whether CCTV host Li Hong (李紅) and other related persons apologize for the "seek peace" comment.

Chiang's Facebook post