Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council Photo: cnsphoto

The visit of a Kuomintang Party of China (KMT) delegation to the Chinese mainland is normal and it is absurd to hype it with malicious intent, Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said on Wednesday, after an attempt by Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to obstruct and smear the visit.

It is normal for KMT members to come to the mainland for visits and exchanges, Ma said.

The visit will be led by KMT Vice Chairman Andrew Hsia, according to local media reports. The delegation will arrive in the Chinese mainland on Wednesday and will conduct "7 + 3" quarantine after arriving in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province.

After the quarantine, the KMT delegation will visit the Taiwan Business Association in Xiamen, and will then go to the Pearl River Delta, the Yangtze River Delta and other places to meet with local Taiwan businesspeople, said the reports.

Hsia is expected to return to Xiamen and fly back to the island on August 26.

The KMT said on Wednesday that the purpose of the visit is to care for compatriots who work, study and live in the mainland and to listen to their problems and needs.

The trip has been scheduled for months and was initiated by the KMT, it said.

However, the DPP authorities reportedly claimed the visit was "inappropriate" at this time and tried to persuade the KMT to cancel it. The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has conducted military exercises and training activities surrounding the island of Taiwan following the provocative visit by Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.