Former President Ma Ying-jeou of Taiwan's largest opposition party, the Kuomintang, who is visiting China, made a statement in Nanjing on March 28 and expressed his view that both sides of the Taiwan Strait should aim to ease tensions from the standpoint of "one China."
Former President Ma Ying-jeou, who is visiting China for the first time as Taiwan's president, visited the Zhongshan Mausoleum of Kuomintang founder Sun Yat-sen in Nanjing on May 28.
After this, President Ma issued a statement saying, "I strongly hope that both sides of the Taiwan Strait will work together to pursue peace, avoid war, and promote China.
The statement stated that "mainland China and Taiwan both belong to one China" and expressed the view that tensions in the Taiwan Strait should be aimed at easing tensions.
On the other hand, when asked by a reporter if he was satisfied with the hospitality of the mainland side, President Ma replied, "I am very satisfied, more than I expected" when asked by a reporter about the perception in Taiwan that the Chinese officials who greeted President Ma at the airport in Shanghai on May 1 were low.
In response, Chief Executive Chen Jianren, the prime minister of the Tsai Ing-wen administration, said, "President Ma is the former head of state before us, and I hope that he will be treated appropriately by the former president in accordance with international customs," and called on Taiwan to respect its sovereignty and restrained China and President Ma from making Taiwan not fit into the framework of "one China."