TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kuomintang (KMT) Vice Chair Andrew Hsia (夏立言) has returned to Taiwan from a seven-day visit to China, which he said was focused on meeting Taiwanese people rather than Chinese officials.

Hsia returned on Tuesday (March 19) following a trip that took him to Chongqing, Chengdu, Jinan, Qingdao, and other locations, per CNA. After landing at Taoyuan International Airport, Hsia said during his trip he met with some of the 154 Taiwanese business associations in China, as well as Taiwanese students.

He said that while in China, he explained to the Taiwanese people the reforms within his party, and expressed his hope that the cross-strait situation would become more stable and peaceful. Hsia also said he hoped cross-strait tourism could be resumed, which would better mutual understanding between both sides.

Asked if there was any chance of a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and KMT Chair Eric Chu (朱立倫) in the future, Hsia said he was unaware of any plans in this regard. He said his trip had nothing to do with this, and said no arrangements for such a meeting had been made.

Hsia’s visits to China have been criticized by opposition lawmakers, particularly from within the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). During a previous visit, Hsia attended a meeting with China’s Taiwan Affairs Office head Song Tao (宋濤), during which Tao blamed the DPP for the recent controversial speedboat deaths of Chinese nationals off the outlying island of Kinmen.

During the meeting, Hsia reportedly said that he would supervise the DPP to properly handle the situation. Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) of the DPP said these comments were “puzzling” and “inappropriate.”

On Tuesday, Hsia said it was already the ninth time he had visited China, and added that he can be expected to go again. He said there are still many cities he has not visited there, and traveling to China to show care for the situation of Taiwanese people is something that should be done.