Taiwan Labor Party leaders Wu Jung-yuan and Wang Chang-ping sat down for an exclusive interview with CGTN during the Straits Forum in Xiamen in southeast China's Fujian province, saying that they've come to the mainland hoping to bring more channels for both sides to communicate.
"With the resumption of the Straits Forum this year, we return to participate in the pursuit of peaceful development and reunification. Such vitality requires the collective efforts of everyone from both sides of the Straits," said Wu Jung-yuan, the party's chairman.
He said that Taiwan Labor Party has been actively preparing for the forum despite difficulties and will be participating in two sub-forums.
Wu also made a positive comment on the visit to the forum by Hsia Li-yan, a vice-chairman of the Kuomintang party.
"The vice chairman is not afraid of the threatening pressure from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority. We affirm his attendance. This demonstrates their sincerity and goodwill in upholding cross-Straits peace and advancing national integration," he said.
"We think they have made the right choice by participating in the Straits Forum despite the challenges. I believe that their involvement in the Straits Forum aligns with the aspirations of the people of Taiwan and will greatly contribute to the 2024 election," Wu commented.
Wang Chang-ping, vice chairman of Labor Party of Taiwan, went on to say that the pressure made by the DPP over participants to the Forum.
"In fact, the DPP is sort of scared. They are bound to feel uneasy when many individuals from Taiwan come here to promote peaceful development and foster communication and cooperation between both sides of the Straits," she said.
"However, if you observe the flights to Xiamen, you will see the enthusiasm of those coming here. A threat cannot deter us, and it is futile. It is evident how people truly feel about it. We want peaceful development. We want peaceful communication," she noted.
As many young people from Taiwan are working and studying in the mainland and are doing well, more young people in Taiwan are growing up under the background of de-Sinicization.
For this, Wang said that in fact because of the DPP's separatist agenda, the entire Taiwan society has become tense, and many young people want opportunities for development, and the mainland is their primary choice due to shared cultural identity.
"They choose to stay and have achieved success here. So, they feel the need to tell their families and friends the reality of the mainland. It is different from the depiction by the DPP that spreads de-Sinicization in Taiwan and demonizes the mainland," she said.
"I think it is crucial for young people in Taiwan to have a clear understanding and consider visiting the mainland more to experience it firsthand," the vice chairman added.