Former Taiwan President Urges Peace Talks With Xi Jinping — But Tsai's Government Thinks His Views Are Outdated

Former Taiwanese President Ma Ying Jeou called for Taipei and Beijing to engage in discussions to prevent a war and promote peace. 

What Happened: After attending the Delphi Economic Forum in Greece, Ma urged President Tsai Ing Wen-led government to adhere strictly to the Taiwanese Constitution and the Act Governing Relations Between the People of Taiwan and the Mainland when pursuing cross-strait relations.

Ma said over 1,000 political, economic, and business leaders from Europe attended his speech. They all believed that maintaining peace in cross-strait and the region is crucial. "I also called on all parties to urge Taiwan and China to engage in dialogue and seek peace," he said.

"Many of the experts at the forum agreed with me on this issue. I hope that the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen can listen to and practice the views I expressed and heard at the forum. This is the way to meet the needs of the country and the people," he said.

The Taiwanese presidential office disagreed with Ma’s comments, stating that his cross-strait policies are aligned with those from the 1970s, while cross-strait relations have significantly evolved since then. According to spokesperson Olivia Lin, “It is a fact that the Republic of China is not part of the People’s Republic of China, and vice versa.”

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"The chief goal of our handling of cross-strait relations is to ensure that Taiwanese can continue having a free and democratic way of life, and that their rights can be protected. We also hope to do everything we can to maintain peace."

Why It Matters: Former Taiwanese leader has advocated for closer cross-strait relations and promoting peace between Taiwan and China. He has expressed support for the “1992 Consensus,” a political understanding between Xi Jinping‘s Chinese Communist Party and Taiwan's Kuomintang Party that acknowledges the existence of “one China” but allows for different interpretations of what that means.

Ma, in April, also paid a visit to Beijing, where he said, ‘We are all Chinese.' Taiwan's ruling government sharply criticized the comments. 

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