Former Taiwan president Ma Ying-jeou arrives in China pledging peace
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Taiwan's former President Ma Ying-jeou (centre) arriving at Shanghai's Pudong International airport, on March 27, 2023.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
TAOYUAN, Taiwan - Taiwan’s former president Ma Ying-jeou on Monday became the first sitting or former Taiwanese leader to visit mainland China since the Communist revolution in 1949. He said he hoped to bring about peace and improve relations.
Mr Ma’s office said he was met at Shanghai’s Pudong airport by officials including Mr Chen Yuanfeng, deputy head of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office.
Speaking to reporters before leaving from Taiwan’s main international airport at Taoyuan, Mr Ma, 73, said he was “very happy” to be going on a trip where he will talk to students and pay respects to the graves of his ancestors in China.
“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,” he said in short remarks.
On Monday, Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party criticised Mr Ma for his trip, saying it was inappropriate given that former long-time ally Honduras had ended ties with Taipei in favour of Beijing just the day before.
Mr Ma is a senior member of Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), which favours close ties with China, although it strongly denies being pro-Beijing. The KMT says outreach to China is needed now more than ever, given the tensions across the Taiwan Strait.
Mr Ma met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Singapore in late 2015, shortly before his successor Tsai Ing-wen won the election.
Mr Ma is not scheduled to meet any senior Chinese officials. But the head of his foundation said last week that he will be “at his hosts’ disposal” if they do arrange such a get-together.
Both supporters and opponents were at the airport for Mr Ma’s departure. Demonstrators from the pro-independence group Taiwan Republic Office were allowed to show banners inside the airport for only a brief period before being pushed out by police. REUTERS
