TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kuomintang (KMT) Vice Chair Andrew Hsia (夏立言) is visiting China a month ahead of the presidential and legislative elections, reports said Thursday (Dec. 7).

The weeklong visit was arranged in October at the invitation of Taiwanese business people active in China, according to the opposition party. The KMT rejected reports that Hsia would meet senior officials from the Chinese government’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), per Radio Taiwan International (RTI).

The KMT official was scheduled to meet Taiwanese business people at events and seminars to address their concerns, the party said. His itinerary included Chengdu, Nanchang, Zhongshan, Xiamen, and Chongqing.

The visit, which started Wednesday (Dec. 13), was motivated by concern for the problems facing Taiwanese business people and investors in China, according to the KMT. The party emphasized it stood for democracy and peace, while also protecting the interests of citizens at home and abroad.