1st LD-Writethru: KMT leader arrives in Nanjing for visit

Hung Hsiu-chu, leader of Taiwan's Kuomintang (KMT) Party, arrived in Nanjing on Sunday evening.

Hung, who leads a delegation from the island, is scheduled to visit Nanjing and Beijing from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3.

Before leaving Taipei, Hung told reporters at the Taoyuan International Airport that it will be a trip aiming to promote stability and peace across the Taiwan Strait.

The KMT firmly opposes "Taiwan independence" and hopes to maintain peace across the Strait, she said, adding that it is the consensus of the party.

She hoped the basis for mutual trust across the Strait could be strengthened.

Since the Democratic Progressive Party took power on May 20, the KMT has been willing to continue to boost non-governmental exchanges across the Strait, said Hung.

Tsai Cheng-yuan, executive director of the KMT's Policy Committee, told a press conference on Sunday morning that Hung will follow the historic path laid out by her predecessors to create a stable architecture for cross-Strait interactions, adding that the KMT hopes for a smooth and successful visit. Endi