As tensions persist across the Taiwan Strait, ex-Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou commenced an 11-day visit to China on Monday. During his trip, he is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping for the second time next week, as reported by Reuters.
In 2016, Ma, who was Taiwan’s president from 2008 to 2016, made history as the first former Taiwanese leader to visit China.
Since Mao Zedong’s communists emerged victorious in the civil war, leading the defeated Republic of China government to seek refuge in Taiwan in 1949, no contemporary Taiwanese leader has visited China.
China has strengthened its political and military efforts towards Taiwan, aiming to emphasize its assertion that the democratically governed island should be recognized as an integral part of its own territory.
I had the opportunity to meet Xi Jinping at a remarkable summit in Singapore towards the end of 2015. This gathering took place right before Tsai Ing-wen, who was then the President of Taiwan, assumed her office.
The widely-covered meeting between Xi has not been affirmed by Ma or the Chinese authorities in the Taiwanese press.
Under the condition of anonymity due to the delicate nature of the matter, three individuals acquainted with Ma’s travel plans have informed Reuters that the event is expected to take place in Beijing on the coming Monday.
“This journey represents both peace and camaraderie,” Ma shared with the media at the Taiwan airport prior to departing for Shenzhen, a city in Guangdong province, southern China.
Ma proceeded to express his desire to convey that the people of Taiwan highly regard peace and wish to steer clear of any conflict.
During a recent inquiry regarding a meeting with Xi, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, which addresses him as “Mr. Ma Ying-jeou” instead of a former president due to neither government recognizing the other, simply responded by wishing Ma a safe trip.
As stated by Ma’s office, during his time in Guangdong, he is scheduled to visit two prominent companies: Tencent, a globally leading video gaming corporation, and BYD, a massive Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer that also operates the WeChat messaging platform.
Although Ma does not hold a formal position within his party, he remains a significant figure in Taiwan’s largest opposition group, the Kuomintang. This party faced its third consecutive defeat in the presidential election, held in January.
While it explicitly denies being pro-Beijing, the KMT does advocate for open dialogue and strong relationships with China.
Due to Beijing’s view of Tsai and her Democratic Progressive Party as potentially separatist, they have been declined for negotiations multiple times. Tsai asserts that Taiwan’s future should be determined by its citizens, and her administration strongly opposes China’s sovereignty claims.
