Taiwan’s opposition Kuomintang party has called off a delegation scheduled to attend a cross-strait forum in mainland China, after a state-run Chinese television station claimed that the Taiwanese group’s leader would “beg for peace” with Beijing.

But instead of sending an official delegation, the party members could still attend this Saturday’s forum in the Fujian city of Xiamen in their personal capacity, KMT cultural communications committee head Wang Yu-min said on Monday.

China Central Television claimed in a program last week that Wang Jing-pyng, former speaker of Taiwan’s legislature leading the delegation, was coming to “beg for peace.” KMT chairperson Johnny Chiang last Friday demanded an apology from CCTV, but the state-run station failed to do so by Monday.

A group of KMT members will attend the forum to represent Taiwanese business people, led by former acting chairman Lin Rong-te, Taiwanese media reported.

When asked if he would still attend the forum, Wang Jing-pyng said on Monday he would respect the decision his party would make on this matter.

Taiwan premier Su Tseng-chang, of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, said on Monday that the mainland had already framed the forum as a pro-unifying activity. Taiwanese people would have a negative impression of the KMT and Wang Jing-pyng if they insisted on attending, Su said.

The KMT delegation originally planned to attend the forum with the goodwill of cross-strait relations with the mainland, but the CCTV claim had changed the tone, Wang Yu-min said. Any inappropriate speech or behavior made at this sensitive timing in cross-strait relations would hurt a hard-earned mutual trust between both sides, she said.

Click here for Chinese version

---------------------------------

Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app: bit.ly/2yMMfQE

To download the latest version,

iOS: bit.ly/AD_iOS

Android: bit.ly/AD_android

Or search Appledaily in App Store or Google Play