Cross-Strait Exchanges Under Scrutiny: Ma Ying-jeou's Latest Visit to China Sparks Controversy
Participation in Straits Forum for Exchange Promotion: Ma
Written by an unbiased, open-minded assistant, with CNA
Former President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) embarks on his fourth trip to China since leaving office, sparking debate around the implications of "closer people-to-people exchanges" across the Taiwan Strait.
Ma's journey, which includes a visit to the 17th Straits Forum in Xiamen, aims to deepen understanding of local history and industrial development in Fujian Province and, more significantly, promote interaction between Taiwanese and mainland youth. However, his attendance has been met with criticism from the Lai administration.
The Mainland Affairs Council has cautioned Ma against becoming a mouthpiece for Beijing’s united front efforts – a platform the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) uses to target Taiwanese, strategically employing political, economic, and cultural means to co-opt and influence society and politics in Taiwan.
During Ma's presidency, regulations were introduced to prevent central government agency personnel from participating in the Straits Forum to minimize infiltration. The current administration finds Ma's decision to attend profoundly regrettable, fearing it will not gain the majority's support in Taiwan.
While the current trip emphasizes cultural exchange, Assistant Director-General of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑), asserts that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) should refrain from using the term "united front" to intimidate the public into avoiding cross-strait exchanges. Upon reviewing Taiwanese laws, Hsiao discovered that none include the term "united front," aside from minimal administrative directives.
The ongoing debate surrounding cross-strait relations demonstrates the historical and contemporary complexities of the term "united front." Politically, it represents the CCP's strategic approach to influence Taiwan under its governance – tracing back to the Second United Front (1937-1941) between the CCP and the ruling Kuomintang, though with limited cooperation. In recent years, the united front strategy includes leveraging pro-Beijing sympathizers, offering incentives, and employing covert methods, such as espionage and infiltration, to control Taiwan politically.
Taiwanese countermeasures aim to strengthen national security laws, bolster counterintelligence capabilities, and impose stricter regulations on cross-strait interactions to deter united front infiltration. With his upcoming visit, Ma Ying-jeou's actions will contribute to shaping the ongoing narrative regarding cross-strait exchanges and the future of Taiwanese-Chinese relations.
- The attendance of former President Ma Ying-jeou at the 17th Straits Forum in Xiamen has stirred controversy, with the Lai administration expressing concerns about Ma becoming a mouthpiece for Beijing's united front efforts, a platform used by the Chinese Communist Party for political, economic, and cultural infiltration in Taiwan.
- In response to criticisms, the Assistant Director-General of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, Hsiao Hsu-tsen, maintains that the Democratic Progressive Party should not use the term "united front" to intimidate the public, arguing that Taiwanese laws do not explicitly ban cross-strait exchanges under this term aside from minimal administrative directives.
