Ma Ying-jeou urges Taiwan’s next president to respond ‘pragmatically’ to Xi Jinping’s ‘olive branch’

Island’s former leader also calls on William Lai to ‘confirm the one-China framework’
He made the remarks after a trip to the mainland, which included a meeting with Xi

Taiwan

Lawrence Chungin Taipei

Published: 5:43pm, 15 Apr 2024

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Former Taiwanese leader Ma Ying-jeou has called on the island’s president-elect to respond “pragmatically” to the “olive branch” extended by Xi Jinping and to accept the one-China principle.

Ma, who met mainland Chinese leader Xi in Beijing last week, said Taiwan’s next leader, William Lai Ching-te, should take note of Xi’s goodwill and refrain from “walking the independence path”.

Lai, of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, was elected in January and will be inaugurated next month.

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Using Taiwan’s official name for itself, Ma wrote in a Facebook post on Monday that Lai should “follow the Constitution of the Republic of China, confirm the one-China framework based on the constitution, and ensure that the two sides of the strait are not two separate countries”.

The ROC constitution, which includes the one-China concept, was adopted by the Nationalist, or Kuomintang, government in Nanjing in 1947. It has remained in effect in Taiwan since the KMT fled to the island and set up an interim government there after being defeated by the Communists in mainland China during the civil war in 1949.

Since she came to power in 2016, incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen, of the DPP, has refused to accept the one-China principle, saying Beijing has never ruled Taiwan and that the island is already sovereign and independent.

Tsai’s second four-year term ends on May 20. Her successor, Lai, has been denounced by Beijing as a “troublemaker” and “obstinate separatist”.

Beijing sees Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state but oppose any attempt to take it by force.

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In his post on Monday, Ma called on Lai to “guarantee not to pursue Taiwan independence, allow both sides of the strait to return to the common political foundation of the 1992 consensus and engage in various exchanges on an equal and dignified basis”.

The consensus is a tacit agreement between Beijing and Taipei that there is only “one China”, but each side has its own interpretation of what that means.

Ma said that at time of unabating conflicts around the world “there is a need to ensure peace and prosperity” across the Taiwan Strait, adding that both the US and Europe would want to see regional security maintained.

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“Mr Xi has extended an olive branch to us, and I sincerely hope that for the well-being of the Taiwanese people, [Lai] can respond to him pragmatically,” Ma said.

Ma, who led Taiwan from 2008 to 2016 and remains an influential figure in the Beijing-friendly KMT, returned to the island on Thursday from an 11-day tour of Guangdong, Shaanxi and Beijing with a group of Taiwanese students.

Expressing “special thanks” to Xi for his reception on Wednesday, Ma said he had told Xi that both sides of the strait should cherish each other’s values and way of life, and that if a war broke out it would be “unbearable for the Chinese nation”.

Xi responded that although their systems were different, as long as Taiwan and mainland China shared a common national identity, with the 1992 consensus as the foundation for political ties, then they could sit down to resolve conflicts and build mutual trust, according to Ma.

The former Taiwanese leader also said Xi had a rare face-to-face talk with the students, listening to their thoughts and answering questions.

“I believe this demonstrates the highest sincerity and goodwill towards Taiwan,” Ma said, adding that the students had told him that Xi “seemed like a caring elder, patiently sharing life experiences with them, leaving them with unforgettable memories”.

There was no immediate response to Ma’s remarks from Lai or his office. But the DPP said last week that Ma’s views did not reflect those of the Taiwanese public and that cross-strait dialogue and interaction should be based on “equality and dignity” with “neither side subordinating to the other”.

Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said a survey it conducted this month found that nearly 80 per cent of Taiwanese disagreed with Beijing’s use of the 1992 consensus as the political foundation for cross-strait dialogue.