BEIJING -- Vice-chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, Chang Jung-kung, will attend the 18th Straits Forum conference in Xiamen, Fujian province, on June 13.

Preparations for the forum have been largely completed, and related activities are underway across Fujian, Zhang Han, a spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a press conference Wednesday.

As a platform for cross-Strait people-to-people exchanges, the Straits Forum has played an important role in fostering exchanges and cooperation across the Taiwan Strait, benefiting people on both sides and earning broad support, Zhang said.

However, Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have sought to discredit the forum by labeling it a "united front platform" of the mainland and have further expanded restrictions on participation in forum-related activities this year.

Zhang said the DPP authorities, driven by their pursuit of "Taiwan independence," have ignored public opinion and local development needs, showing neither the willingness nor the ability to properly handle cross-Strait relations.

For their own political gain, the DPP authorities have undermined cross-Strait exchanges and restricted the freedom of movement and expression of people in Taiwan, she said.

Such actions fully expose the true nature of the DPP authorities' so-called democracy as "democracy in name, dictatorship in practice," the spokeswoman added.