TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has invited China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) Spokeswoman Zhu Fenglian (朱鳳蓮) to visit Taiwan after she expressed the desire to do so.

Zhu, who identified herself as a member of the Hakka minority in Guangdong, said on Wednesday (Jan. 26) she would like to meet “her fellow Hakka people in Taiwan.” She made the remark at a regular briefing in which she criticized a policy of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's (蔡英文) administration geared toward encouraging the study of native languages, calling it part of a de-sinicization scheme.

The MAC, which deals with China-related matters, welcomed Zhu's intentions to engage with Taiwan’s Hakka communities during a trip at an opportune time, per CNA. The agency said it believes Zhu will have a better understanding of Taiwanese society if she can cast aside ideological rigidity and become more open-minded.

Taiwan embraces inclusiveness, protects human rights, and honors the freedoms of speech, press, and religion, MAC stated. It called on the Chinese authorities to stop their persecution and repression of dissidents, religious groups, and minorities.