The Presidential Office in Taipei confirmed late on the evening of Nov. 3 that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and President Xi Jinping (習近平) are to meet each other in Singapore on Nov. 7. Both leaders have reportedly been invited by Singaporean authorities. President Xi will head for Singapore after visiting Vietnam.
According to the Presidential Office, which confirmed an initial report in the Chinese-language Liberty Times, presidents Ma and Xi will not sign agreements and will not issue a joint statement. SET-TV reports that Ma and Xi will hold separate press conferences after the meeting. The purpose of the meeting and the subjects to be discussed have yet to be confirmed. The Presidential Office added that the meeting is meant to solidify cross-strait peace and maintain the status quo. The meeting is the common goal of both leaders, it said.
The Mainland Affairs Council will hold a press conference on Nov. 4 to further explain the details of the meeting. President Ma will also hold a press conference on Nov. 5.
This will be the first meeting between the two heads of state, although given Beijing’s position on Taiwan it is unlikely that he will do so as president. Ma, whose second and last term will end on May 20, 2016, had long expressed the hope of meeting with President Xi. However, while running for re-election in 2012, President Ma had vowed that he would never meet with a Chinese president while in office. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) met Xi in Beijing on May 4.
Confirmation of the meeting has already sparked outrage among Taiwanese Netizens. The New Power Party has announced it will gather at 9am outside the Legislative Yuan, where a Ma official is to brief legislators, to protest. The small party has called on citizens to join the protest (expecting trouble, police began deploying fences and barbed wire around the Presidential Office on the afternoon of Nov. 3).
The meeting will occur less than two months prior to the Jan. 16 presidential and legislative elections in Taiwan, in which the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is expected to win. Observers regard the move as a possible attempt to throw a curveball to DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who is leading by a wide margin in the polls.
Great job president Ma, a historical moment since 1949.
Wow. Just, wow. This is a bit terrifying. I simply don’t trust Ma Ying-jeou and oftern harbor suspicious that he secretly works for the enemy, enemy being defined as an historically aggressive state that points missiles at Taiwan and conducts war games simulating its invasion.
Snake in the grass alert from me. I wouldn’t be surprised if he whips out some “landmark peace agreement” or some such gambit that locks Taiwan in to acquiescence.
Job interview?
I think you misunderstand Ma. I’m Taiwanese-American with grandparents who fled China with the KMT to Taiwan in 1949. You have to understand one thing about Ma, he is very protective of Taiwan. He is trying to preserve peace and prevent war, even though it seems at times like he’s kowtowing to the Chinese. I’ve noticed that a lot of Americans and foreigners automatically forge allegiance with the DDP and think the KMT is the devil. But in fact, it’s not so simple.
It’s a farewell present to Ma, and will only have minor impact on the January election. The DPP would be wise not to overreact. If they do it might generate sympathy votes for the KMT.
Well. Taiwan is part of China and it’s up to the Chinese to iron it out with the best result. Who are we to pock our nose into other people’s pie!
I guess he just wants to assure the DPP a huge landslide victory in the election! Hmmm….they tossed a presidential candidate for not boosting party numbers, what will the party do after Ma destroys any trust or faith in the KMT? Me thinks the is a secret game afoot, fetch me the witch and oracle!!
I’m pan-green but I can see what you’re getting at. It’s plausible to believe that the best way to protect Taiwan is to appear to make as many concessions as possible up to a certain laine.
Do I think that’s what President Ma has in mind? Not really; based on his domestic statements and actions I get the sense that he is trying to make unification inevitable, albeit not immediate. I can’t be sure, though.
Any sensible Taiwan leader would not want to get on Beijing’s bad side, and I’m not blaming Ma for it. However, why now? Why is it taking place when he’s stepping down soon, and with elections so close? It’s bound to cause controversy.
My grandparents would roll over in their graves if Taiwan re-united with China. They didn’t run away from Mao for nothing. As a descendant of Chinese civil war refugees, as is Ma, I really don’t think we harbor any lingering affection for Communism. Yes, we might have some long-lost relatives on the mainland, but somewhere in the back of our minds, we are still at war with Mao. Unification would mean giving up would mean losing everything we stood for and sacrificed for since 1949. There may be a few bad eggs in the KMT as there are in any party, but I think Ma is one of the good ones. Before they passed away, my grandparents fled again in 1997 when it seemed likely that China would attack Taiwan. As we can see from the refugees pouring out of Syria, war is no fun. It’s a tragedy, especially for the very young and the very old. I never want to see China and Taiwan at war, but neither do I want Taiwan to unite with China. This is the fine, complicated line any president of Taiwan must walk…
Ma Should learn a lesson from Hongkong and its present situation. Money Can’t buy freedom and human rights that you guys are enjoying today.
This is political correctness step, why took so long to get this intention to claim all your leaderships and fill with Taiwanese of boycott gone sour?
Last nail in the coffin for KMT. A desperate act by a clueless leader.
I think President Ma did the right thing. Isn’t cross-strait peace good for everyone on both sides as well as for the rest of the world? Shaking hands is always better than engaging in fisticuffs. I personally don’t feel the Ma-Xi meeting will have any significant impact on election outcomes, and it is totally unnecessary for anyone to over-read this event. I think it’s a pity that Ms. Tsai Ing-Wen didn’t make the most of this opportunity; instead of the usual knee-jerk reaction of condemning and criticizing anything President Ma does, if she could have issued a statement congratulating her political rival on this historical event and expressing a positive attitude towards peace, dialogue, and more cross-strait exchange in an atmosphere of good will, she wouldn’t have come across as being so sour-grapey.