Taiwan's ex-president Ma Ying-jeou heads to China on a landmark trip, hoping to bring about peace amid heightened tensions between Beijing and Taipei
Taiwan's ex-president Ma Ying-jeou is heading for China on Monday on a landmark trip, the first such visit since the 1940s since relations between the two sides soured.Ma, in office from 2008-2016, will be the first former or current Taiwanese president to visit China since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 at the end of a civil war with the Communists, where it remains to this day.
Speaking to reporters at Taiwan's main international airport at Taoyuan, 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. Ma is a senior member of Taiwan's main opposition party, the Kuomintang , which favours close ties with China although it strongly denies being pro-Beijing.
Ma is not scheduled to meet 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.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
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