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KMT vice chair visits China
Andrew Hsia, Vice Chairman of Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party is defending his decision to travel to China, saying he's "there to show support to Taiwanese business owners and will not be deterred by China's military exercises."
The Mainland Affairs Council had warned Xia about his trip, stressing that it may not be the right time for political party members to visit, due to China's military drills.
However, Xia flew to Xiamen on Wednesday. And speaking prior to leaving, he told reporters there might never be a proper time to visit China in the eyes of the government.
President Tsai Ing-wen says the trip has not only disappointed the Taiwan people, but could send a wrong signal to the international community about how Taiwanese perceive China's military threat to the island.
Local media is citing a KMT source as saying the main purpose of Hsia's trip is to meet with Taiwanese business owners in China, and the delegation will spend most of its time in the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta regions.
The same source is being quoted as saying the KMT delegation will not be visiting Beijing, and has no plans to discuss political issues with representatives of the other side of the strait.
