Taiwan’s Former President Ma Ying-jeou’s Controversial Visit to Mainland China Sparks Political Debate

Former Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou (L) meets the head of China's Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council Song Tao, in Wuhan, Hubei province, China in handout picture released March 30, 2023. Ma Ying-jeou's Office/Handout via Reuters

Commentary

Former President of Taiwan Ma Ying-jeou led a delegation on an 11-day visit to mainland China on April 1. Reports suggest that Xi Jinping may meet Mr. Ma in Beijing on April 8 or 9. Mr. Ma’s visit is highly controversial in Taiwan due to his friendly stance toward the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Despite Mr. Ma’s pro-China stance, the Hong Kong-based pro-China online news portal HK01 published an article that called Mr. Ma a threat greater than the ruling pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Taiwan, which suggests that different factions within the CCP may view Mr. Ma differently.

Different Voices Within the CCP

Guo Jun, editor-in-chief of The Epoch Times’ Hong Kong edition, said on NTD’s Chinese language program “Pinnacle View” that Mr. Ma’s influence in Taiwan has dwindled, although he was President from 2009 to 2016. Even within his own party, the Kuomintang (KMT), there are rising figures like Eric Chu, Hou Yu-ih, and Han Kuo-yu. Mr. Ma’s rise to power years ago was a result of compromises among various factions.

According to Ms. Guo, the article in HK01 suggests that there are two views within the CCP. One side views that Mr. Ma supports reunification, acknowledges the supposed 1992 Consensus between China and Taiwan, and identifies as Chinese, thus being viewed positively. The other side views him as advocating for Taiwan’s independence under the guise of the Republic of China, clandestinely collaborating with the DPP, which is considered a more dangerous covert independence movement. Therefore, this faction perceives Mr. Ma and the KMT’s overall approach to cross-strait relations as deceitful, adopting policies of procrastination.

Ms. Guo believes that the first view within the CCP aligns with the pragmatic political perspective of the ruling faction, seeing Mr. Ma as a positive force. The second view, portraying him as covertly pushing for Taiwanese independence, likely represents the far-left faction within the party, or more accurately, the more “orthodox” Communist faction, who view everyone in Taiwan as enemies, regardless of whether they belong to the DPP or the KMT or whether they advocate for Taiwanese independence or the Republic of China.

Challenging the CCP’s Legitimacy

Chinese political commentator Zheng Xuguang said on “Pinnacle View” that when Mr. Ma visits mainland China this time, Xi will most likely meet him. He argues that within the CCP, although some label Mr. Ma as advocating for Taiwanese independence, it is actually a misunderstanding.

“On Taiwanese independence, [current outgoing Taiwanese president] Tsai Ing-wen advocates for it,” Mr. Zheng said. “Tsai Ing-wen’s position is that the Republic of China encompasses Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu and that both sides of the strait are not subordinate to each other. She is willing to acknowledge China if China acknowledges Taiwan. [She believes] they are two political entities.”

He also commented on the criticism of Mr. Ma in the HK01 article, suggesting that it is not the mainstream voice within the CCP but rather a hawkish opinion in the public discourse. This hawkish stance towards him has some validity. For example, last year, when Mr. Ma visited China to pay respects to his ancestors, it was seen as covering Ms. Tsai’s transit through the United States. Similarly, during this time, Taiwan’s new Vice President-elect, Hsiao Bi-khim, had just visited the United States and Europe. Therefore, the criticism of Mr. Ma from within the CCP represents a certain opinion primarily aimed at attention-seeking and taking a firm stance.

Mr. Zheng views the Republic of China as a challenge to the CCP’s legitimacy. Taiwan’s official name, the Republic of China, does not recognize Communist China’s governance in the mainland. Therefore, the hawkish views within the CCP see Mr. Ma as an advocate for the Republic of China and, therefore, remains a threat to the CCP’s rule in mainland China.

KMT’s Outdated Mindset

Ms. Guo explained that the pro-unification faction within the KMT is quite powerful, which is greatly influenced by the thinking of the older KMT generation after the Republic of China’s retreat to Taiwan under Gen. Chiang Kai-shek. For decades after the Communist revolution in mainland China, the ruling KMT in Taiwan dreamed of returning to the mainland.

She said that the older generation of the KMT continued to maintain this mindset. For example, Mr. Ma’s father, Ma Ho-ling, was a member of the KMT Central Committee and had a strong “unified China” mindset.

“Ma Ho-ling once visited mainland China, arranged by the CCP to visit China’s Yunnan University,” Ms. Guo said. “He was excited that the university students held a book written by him and actively engaged in dialogue with him, not knowing that the students were all planted by the CCP. He was delighted that his books were popular in mainland China under the CCP. So, he truly failed to comprehend the CCP’s deception. He told Ma Ying-jeou to visit and see China, and he confirmed this to me when I interviewed him [in the past].”

She also noted that after more than 70 years of separation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, in addition to the differences between democracy and authoritarianism on both sides, the Taiwanese people generally no longer have the collective mindset of “reunification” with China. Hence, the influence of the KMT’s “unified China” mindset in Taiwan is gradually diminishing. When the CCP meets Mr. Ma, they wish to use him to sow division in Taiwanese politics. However, neither the KMT nor Ma Ying-jeou will have a significant influence on the future of Taiwanese politics.

Michael Zhuang contributed to this report.