Global Times
Date: 2020/9/13
By: Xu Keyue

While a US official's possible visit to the island of Taiwan is being condemned for challenging China's bottom line and aggravating disputes, Taiwan's former legislative speaker Wang Jin-pyng is reportedly scheduled to head for the Chinese mainland for a cross-Straits forum, over which experts expressed positive expectations and said the forum could be "icebreaking" for current cross-Straits relations.

According to Taiwan media, Wang is to lead the Kuomintang (KMT) delegation to this year's Straits Forum in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province which will kick off on September 19.

The KMT said in a statement that amid the cross-Straits tensions, given the experience and reputation of former speaker Wang, he would surely be able to effectively convey Taiwan people's concerns about the cross-Straits situation to the mainland, and promote understanding across the Straits, media said.

Given the anti-mainland stance of the separatist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities, which has been heightened due to its frequent interactions with the US, including US Undersecretary of State Keith Krach's upcoming visit to the island, mainland residents' goodwill toward Taiwan is declining rapidly, mainland observers said, noting the KMT delegation's possible visit serves as a precious opportunity for the mainland and rational voices in the Taiwan island to communicate.    [FULL  STORY]