TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Thursday invited the leaders of the opposition Kuomintang and Taiwan People’s Party to talks scheduled for June 18.

The TPP said Thursday its secretary general, Chou Yu-hsiu (周榆修), had received a phone call from Presidential Secretary General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) inviting him and TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) to discuss national affairs at 9 a.m. on June 18, per CNA. KMT Secretary General Justin Huang (黃健庭) confirmed he had also received a similar call from Pan.

The TPP said it would consider its reply to the invitation once it had gone through the details and looked at the current legislative agenda. The opposition party said it had consistently put the national interest above party interests. The TPP hoped the party leaders could exchange views about major domestic and overseas challenges without preconditions.

The KMT said it was willing to use sincerity to resolve the challenges facing the country, no matter whether under a formula of cross-party talks or of a national affairs conference. KMT Chair Eric Chu (朱立倫) had repeatedly emphasized the need to face problems and resolve them together, according to the main opposition party.

Taiwan has been in the grip of political confrontation between the Democratic Progressive Party government and the opposition, which used its majority at the Legislative Yuan to push through proposals unacceptable to the Lai administration. Both sides are also involved in recall campaigns against lawmakers from the opposing side, with voting expected in July or August.