A former president of Taiwan will make a historic visit to China, the first visit by a senior official to Taipei since 1949.

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Ma, one of the key leaders of Taiwan’s main opposition Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party), had another historic meeting with the Beijing dictator in 2015. Photo: Profimedia Images

Former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou is making the historic visit to China, the first time a senior Taipei official, former or current, has visited mainland China since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. The Republic of China on the island of Taiwan, he reports Reuters.

The former official’s visit comes as tensions rise between the governments in Beijing and Taipei, and China continues to increase political and military pressure on the island, which it considers part of its territory.

Ma, one of the key leaders of Taiwan’s main opposition Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party), held another historic meeting with the Beijing dictator in Singapore in 2015. The meeting took place shortly before the election of Taiwan’s current president, Tsai.

According to Ma’s representatives, the former president will visit China from March 27 to April 7, and will pass through Nanjing, Wuhan, Changsha, Gongqing and Shanghai. He will meet with students and visit sites related to World War II, the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) and the Xinghai Revolution of 1911, which overthrew the Chinese Qing monarchy and created the Republic of China (N. Ed. – present-day Taiwan State).

Ma did not say whether he would meet Chinese Communist Party leaders or officials or hold any talks with Xi Jinping.

The Kuomintang, which paradoxically favors closer ties with China led by the Chinese Communist Party but denies favoring Beijing, has increased talks with the Chinese leadership of late.

Last month, Party Vice President Andrew Hsia traveled to Beijing and met with senior Communist Party leader Wang Huning.

Taiwan’s current ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party, took the opportunity of Hsieh’s visit to attack the Kuomintang for its rapprochement with Beijing and accused party politicians of wanting to “sell Taiwan to China” and being “loyal to the Communists”.

Author: Adrian Dumitru

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