Reports say the Honorary Chairman flew to Hong Kong Wednesday morning and transferred to another flight headed for the mainland. Unlike his previous trips, Lien Chan will come for private travel before attending the forum.

The forum was originally to be held in Taiwan, but was forced to change its venue since the application to attend the forum by Chen Yunlin, Director of the Taiwan Work Office of Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee, was not approved by Taiwan authorities.

The forum is one of the inter-party exchange programs being arranged in accordance with the consensus reached by the CPC and Kuomintang last year.