Taiwan's former premier Lien Chan stirs controversy by agreeing to attend Beijing's war parade

Former Kuomintang chairman Lien Chan will make a controversial move to attend Beijing's massive military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war next Thursday.

Lien would also meet Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping in a personal capacity during the visit, Lien's spokesman Chang Jung-kung said on Wednesday.

In response to the news, KMT spokeswoman Lin Yi-hua said that serving senior KMT figures would not attend despite Beijing's invitations. She added it was "undeniable" that it was the Nationalist government that had led the resistance against Japanese aggression.

Lien would arrive in Beijing next Tuesday to attend a series of commemorative events at Beijing's invitation, including the parade, Chang said.

He said Lien would express his views on the war and cross-strait relations to Xi "in an appropriate way".

KMT presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu said she was confident Lien's Beijing visit would not affect the election in January.