A mainland state broadcaster has attempted to mollify outraged Taiwanese politicians by withdrawing the claim that a Kuomintang delegation would “beg for peace” at an upcoming cross-strait forum in Fujian.

CCTV’s revision on Sunday said the KMT delegation’s goal was, instead, to “foster cross-strait exchanges,” but it did not include an apology. It remains to be seen whether this will satisfy KMT leaders.

Johnny Chiang, chairman of the Beijing-friendly KMT, has threatened to boycott next Saturday’s Straits Forum unless an apology is issued.

The headline on CCTV’s original story, on Thursday, referred to KMT representative Wang Jin-pyng’s planned attendance, saying: “With the strait on the brink of war, this man [Wang] is coming to the mainland to beg for peace.”

Chiang stressed that the KMT’s desire to secure cross-strait peace should not be misinterpreted as “begging for peace.”

CCTV removed the clip after the KMT protested to the forum’s organizers. It also altered the headline to “Wang Jin-ping to lead delegation to the mainland to foster cross-strait exchanges,”

On Sunday, a CCTV News program used a neutral tone, saying Beijing “welcomed the Kuomintang delegation led by the former vice-chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang to attend the event.”

But Chiang, Wang and other KMT leaders are still in discussions on whether to attend, according to Taiwanese media reports.

The Kuomintang is Taiwan’s main opposition party and has traditionally maintained close ties to the mainland in contrast to the incumbent Democratic Progressive Party, which favors more autonomy from Beijing.

The conservative KMT has been under pressure in recent years to be less cozy with Beijing – which considers Taiwan a renegade province that should be taken back by force if necessary – and has paid the price at the ballot box for not doing so.

On Sunday, a spokesperson for Taiwan’s Presidential Office urged the KMT to “think carefully” about the incident. It is vitally important, he said, to “safeguard and defend the dignity and national character of Taiwanese.”

The KMT has always sent representatives to the annual event. Now in its 13th year, the forum is planned for Xiamen, Fujian province, on 19 September, and is focused on promoting grassroots interactions on culture, economic issues and trade.

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