TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kuomintang Deputy Chair Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) said Wednesday he will lead a delegation of scholars to attend a think tank conference organized by the CCP and the KMT in Beijing from Feb. 2-4.
Hsiao said he will attend the conference with National Policy Foundation Deputy Chair Lee Hong-yuan (李鴻源) and about 40 scholars, per CNA. He said the meeting will focus on tourism, sustainability and industrial exchanges.
Hsiao argued that past KMT-led dialogue with China produced agreements from which the Democratic Progressive Party government continues to benefit. He said cross-strait engagement has public support and cited survey results showing that about 80% of respondents favor maintaining channels of communication with China, possibly referencing a UDN annual survey published in September 2025.
Hsiao said the conference would be free of political content, per UDN. Asked whether there were updates on a possible visit to China by KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文), he said there was no new information.
The ruling DPP and government agencies expressed skepticism about the meeting. The Mainland Affairs Council said describing the conference as nonpolitical may be an attempt to avoid public backlash, adding that the CCP’s objective of eliminating Taiwan has not changed, per Newtalk. The council said no organization should engage in political negotiations with the CCP.
DPP Spokesperson Han Ying (韓瑩) echoed the criticism, saying the KMT should not involve itself in what she described as the CCP’s united front operations or China’s internal political risks, per Liberty Times. She also questioned whether the KMT was undermining coordination with the US on supply chains and national security to facilitate dialogue with Beijing.
DPP lawmaker Puma Shen (沈伯洋) said former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) made repeated concessions before being allowed to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping, per FTV. He added that all exchanges with the CCP are inherently political.
Taiwan People’s Party Taipei City councilor candidate Wu Yi-hsuan (吳怡萱) offered a different view, arguing that dialogue with China should continue and citing the Taipei–Shanghai City Forum as an example, per UDN. She said the party’s engagement with US officials had helped it better understand US positions.
