Taiwan's Ex-President Meets Xi Jinping, Says 'Chinese On Both Sides Can Handle Disputes Peacefully'

Former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou expressed optimism on Thursday, suggesting that Taiwan and China can resolve their differences amicably.

What Happened: Ma, who served as Taiwan’s president from 2008 to 2016, made the comments after a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. This was Ma’s second meeting with Xi, following a significant summit in Singapore in 2015, which marked the first time Chinese and Taiwanese leaders had met since the end of the civil war in 1949, Reuters reported.

Ma, the first former or sitting Taiwanese leader to visit China last year, emphasized the shared culture and history of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. He also urged young Taiwanese to recognize the historical and cultural ties between Taiwan and China.

“More importantly, the Chinese on both sides of the Strait can handle disputes peacefully,” he said.

China has been increasing military and political pressure to assert its sovereignty claims on Taiwan. Ma’s visit to Beijing, accompanied by a group of students, aimed to show the youth that people on both sides of the strait are “descendants of the Yan and Yellow Emperors,” a reference to a common ancestor.

Ma, a senior member of Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), advocates close ties with China and dialogue but strongly denies being pro-Beijing.

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Why It Matters: Ma’s comments come amid escalating tensions between Taiwan and China. While China insists that Taiwan is part of its territory, Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, asserting that only the Taiwanese people can determine their future.

Last month, China's tactics to pressure Taiwan intensified, including the loss of a diplomatic ally and increased military patrols, which are seen as a response to the election of Vice President Lai Ching-te as the next president of Taiwan.

China also bumped up its military spending, with a 7.2% rise for 2024 announced during the annual parliamentary meetings in Beijing last month. This uptick in the defense budget aligns with the country's efforts to deter what it considers Taiwan's ‘separatist activities.'

Meanwhile, the Chinese President told the former Taiwan President that outside inference could not stop the “family reunion” between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and that there are no issues that cannot be discussed.

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