XIAN (China), April 30: Taiwan’s main opposition party boss continued his China “peace journey” in his birthplace Xian on Saturday as the island’s government threatened to investigate him for possibly overstepping his powers in talks with China’s president. Kuomintang chairman Lien Chan arrived in Xian, in northern Shaanxi province, and was greeted by thousands of well-wishers, including many who waved both the Communist and KMT parties’ flags.

Back home in Taiwan, however, Taiwanese government officials upped their criticism of Mr Lien’s landmark meeting on Friday with Chinese President Hu Jintao, threatening an investigation into whether his talks with Mr Hu, who is also China’s Communist Party leader, were illegal.

“Cross-strait talks should be led by the government and (the) opposition party should work hard to become a ruling party,” Taiwan’s Premier Frank Hsieh told reporters.

“But instead, (the Kuomintang) lost the ruling power and then held talks with the other side. Relevant organizations will determine whether (the Lien-Hu joint statement) broke the law.”

The meeting was the first in nearly 60 years between the leaders of the Kuomintang and Communist parties that once fought for control of China. The Kuomintang fled to Taiwan after losing a bloody civil war in 1949.

In a joint statement released at the end of their talks, President Hu and Lien Chan said the KMT and China’s Communist Party agreed to oppose Taiwan’s independence.

CRITICISM: But in Taiwan, criticism grew of Mr Lien’s meeting with The Chinese president, which many see as a bid to undermine Taiwan’s government, led by President Chen Shui-bian’s independence-leaning Democratic People’s Party. “Lien failed to promote Taiwan’s democratic developments in China... He criticized the government and dwarfed Taiwan’s sovereignty,” Taiwanese Vice President Annette Lu said.