TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said the governments of Taiwan and China must “cultivate mutual trust” through a process of ongoing exchanges to peacefully solve cross-strait issues, during a meeting with China’s Taiwan Affairs Office on Thursday afternoon (March 30).
During Ma’s meeting with Song Tao (宋濤), the director of China’s government department for Taiwan related issues, the former president recalled his 2015 meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping(習近平) in Singapore, at which both leaders affirmed the importance of the "1992 Consensus." Ma said the "1992 Consensus" had allowed both sides to maintain communication, deepen connections, and was a “historical example of how to deal with difficult problems peacefully.”
The Consensus was reached between the governments of Taiwan and China in November 1992 and stated that there is only one China, but there were different interpretations as to who the legitimate governing authority is. This interpretation remains highly controversial in Taiwan, and both Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council and President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) rejected the terms of the consensus in 2021, saying Taiwanese did not accept the idea of “one country, two systems."
During the meeting, Song said that China and Taiwan “are a family, and no one can separate us,” echoing Ma’s comments on March 28 in which he said “we are all Chinese,” referring to the people of China and Taiwan. During the meeting, Tao referred to Ma as “Mr. Ma,” as it has been agreed that he will not be referred to as “President Ma” during the China trip.
The former KMT aligned president’s China trip is occurring at the same time as Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) President Tsai Ying-wen (蔡英文) travels to the U.S. and Central America, highlighting the increasing division between Taiwan’s two major political parties. Ma also embarked on his trip soon after Honduras switched formal diplomatic recognition to China in a major blow for Taiwan’s international engagement, leading to speculation that the timing was intentional.
On Tuesday (March 28) Ma visited the Mausoleum of Sun Yat-sen (孫中山), the founder of the Republic of China — and a rare example of a historical figure revered on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Ma traveled to China with a group of Taiwanese students, and will visit his ancestral hometown for the upcoming Tomb Sweeping Festival. His visit marks the first time any Taiwanese president has visited China since the end of the Chinese civil war.