Ma Ying-jeou, Former Taiwan President heads to China on Monday for a landmark trip, saying he expected to bring about peace and enhance ties through the interactions of young people.
Ma, in a post from 2008-2016, will be the first former or current Taiwanese president to visit China since the conquered Republic of China government escaped to Taiwan in 1949 at the end of a civil war with the Communists, where it remains to this day.
The latest trip comes at a time of intensified tensions between China and Taiwan as China keeps up military and political tension to try and get democratic Taiwan to accept Chinese sovereignty.
Ma met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Singapore in late 2015 soon before the current Taiwan president, Tsai Ing-wen, won an election.
Conversing with reporters at Taiwan’s main international airport at Taoyuan, Ma, said he was “very pleased” to be going on a trip where he will talk to students and pay respects to the graves of his ancestors in China.
Ma said in short remarks said that apart from going to make offerings to my ancestors, I am also taking Taiwan university students to the mainland for exchanges with them, hoping to improve the current cross-strait atmosphere through the enthusiasm and interaction of young people, so peace can come even faster and sooner to us here.
Ma is a senior member of Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), which prefers close relations with China although it strongly rejects being pro-China. The KMT says outreach to China is required now more than ever given the pressures across the Taiwan Strait.
China has snubbed Tsai’s repeated calls for talks, considering her to be a separatist. She says only Taiwan’s people can determine their future. Ma is not scheduled to encounter any senior Chinese officials while there, but the head of his foundation said last week Ma will be “at his host’s disposal” if they do arrange such a get-together.
Ma was met at the airport by both supporters and furious demonstrators from the pro-independence group Taiwan Republic Office, who were only permitted to show their banners inside the airport for a brief period before being forced out by police.
Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party criticized Ma for going on Monday, saying it was inappropriate given former long-time Taiwan supporter Honduras had ended relations with Taiwan in favor of China the day before.
