A second KMT leader from Taiwan plans a visit to mainland China next week
- Hau Lung-bin, a former mayor of Taipei, says he will visit Henan Province and take part in a ceremonial tribute in Zhengzhou to the Yellow King
- Hau’s trip will come as former Taiwan president Ma Ying-jeou concludes an 11-day tour, which began on Monday and might include a meeting with Xi Jinping
Hau Lung-bin, a former mayor of Taipei, will visit mainland China next week, following the “journey of peace” visit by former Taiwan president Ma Ying-jeou which began this week.
Speaking on a radio programme on Wednesday, Hau, the son of former Taiwan premier Hau Pei-tsun, said he would spend three to four days visiting central Henan province.
On the same day, the Taiwanese government declined Beijing’s offer of aid for a deadly earthquake in the island’s east coast. The magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurred Wednesday morning, killing at least nine and injuring over 900 in Hualien County.
During the trip, Hau said he would take part in a tribute ceremony for the Yellow Emperor in Zhengzhou, an annual local cultural extravaganza to celebrate the long history of the Chinese civilisation.
“The purpose of me paying homage to the Yellow Emperor is to honour our ancestry and heritage, and more importantly, to emphasise the fact that the people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait share the same root, the same origin, and the same historical and cultural backgrounds, which should go beyond political differences,” Hau said.
