The office of former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou announced today, Sunday, that he will visit China this month in the first visit by a former or current Taiwanese leader to Beijing since the defeated Chinese government fled to the island in 1949. The visit comes at a time when tensions between Beijing and Taipei are escalating as China continues its military and political pressure to persuade Taiwan to accept Chinese sovereignty over it.
Ma, who remains a prominent member of Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang, held a historic meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Singapore in late 2015, shortly before the election of current Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.
Ma’s office stated that he will visit China from March 27 to April 7, visiting several cities. The office added that he will meet with students and visit sites related to World War II and China's conflict with Japan, as well as those related to the 1911 revolution that overthrew the last Chinese emperor, marking the declaration of the Republic of China. The official name for Taiwan remains the Republic of China. The office did not mention whether the former Taiwan president would meet with any Chinese officials or leaders.
