Guangdong provincial leader Zhang Dejiang meets with Yok Mu-ming. (Xinhua)

Taiwan New Party Chairman Yok Mu-ming - the third leader of a Taiwan opposition group to visit the mainland this year - arrived in Guangzhou yesterday afternoon to begin an eight-day tour.
Yok's journey, like those of Kuomintang Chairman Lien Chan and People First Party leader James Soong, comes as China commemorates the 60th anniversary of its victory against the Japanese aggression.
"Memories of the past occur to us at this historic moment," he said as he arrived in the capital of southern China's Guangdong Province. "These memories remind us that we must be united."
In Guangzhou, the 30-member delegation will pay tribute to the tombs of the 72 Huanghuagang Martyrs, honoring those who died in an abortive uprising against the imperial Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
"We hope the young people of today will not forget the country's plight of the past and its hopes for the future," Yok said.
The mainland tour will also take Yok and his delegation to Nanjing, Dalian and Beijing.
In Nanjing, the group will visit the mausoleum of democratic revolutionary leader Dr Sun Yat-sen and offer condolences at the Memorial Hall of the Victims of Japan's Nanjing Massacre in World War II.
In Beijing, the delegation will visit the Memorial Hall of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, take part in activities commemorating the 60th anniversary of the victory against Japanese aggression and hold discussions with mainland scholars in a symposium.
Prior to the delegation's departure from the Taipei airport yesterday morning, Yok said the New Party is making the mainland trip to play a role in the efforts to improve relations across the Taiwan Strait.