According to a number of media reports, Ma Ying-jeou will pay an 11-day visit to the mainland in the near future at the invitation of the mainland and will visit Beijing for the first time. In addition to Ma Ying-jeou and Hsiao Xucen, former members of the advisory committee of various departments and 20 young students from the "Dajiu School" also visited the mainland.
In this regard, Chen Binhua, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said that the mainland welcomes Ma Ying-jeou's visit and hopes that compatriots on both sides of the strait will jointly inherit the excellent traditional Chinese culture of prudently pursuing the future and thinking of the source of drinking water. Promote cross-strait communication and exchanges and cooperation in various fields, enhance mutual understanding between the two sides of the strait, promote the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, and jointly promote national rejuvenation.
It is generally believed on the island that Ma Ying-jeou's current visit to the mainland may lead to another meeting with the mainland's top officials. Huang Jiezheng, associate professor at Tamkang University, said that before Lai Qingde takes office, Ma Ying-jeou's visit to the mainland again will certainly have a certain degree of political sensitivity, but it is still necessary to look at it with a normal heart, and I believe that Ma Ying-jeou will certainly make efforts to promote the positive development of cross-strait relations. Huang Jiezheng said that he believed that the mainland would give Ma Ying-jeou considerable courtesy, and that Ma Ying-jeou's main axis was peace and expanding exchanges between the two sides of the strait. Since the Taiwan authorities have not done these things, as long as the two sides of the strait interact with each other, whether it is a former leader or a non-governmental organization, it will help ease the current tension between the two sides of the strait. However, Ma Ying-jeou has been out of office for many years and has not participated in the decision-making of the DPP authorities, nor can he exert much influence on the DPP authorities, let alone change Beijing's perception of Lai Qingde.
In the aftermath of the capsizing of the fishing boat in Kinmen, the Taiwan Strait Patrol Department made inconsistent statements, triggering a strong backlash from the mainland and directly lifting the so-called "forbidden waters". In addition, Lai Qingde, who has the label of "pragmatic Taiwan independence worker," is about to take office, which makes the mainland very concerned and has repeatedly emphasized its stance of opposing "independence" and promoting reunification. Both Taiwan's defense departments and the people on the island are worried about the current tense situation in the Taiwan Strait and are worried that the slightest carelessness may lead to misfire. However, at a time when the situation in the Taiwan Strait is tense, the DPP authorities have no channel for cross-strait dialogue, and Ma Ying-jeou's visit at this time will help ease the tense situation between the two sides of the strait. Chen Chien-jen, a responsible person of Taiwan's administrative department, said that the Taiwan authorities respect Ma Ying-jeou's team's personal itinerary planning and will provide necessary assistance to Ma Ying-jeou's security requests. However, Chen also called on Ma Ying-jeou to keep in mind his expectations for values such as "sovereignty, democracy, and the rule of law" during his visit to the mainland.
For example, Wu Siyao, a caucus secretary of the DPP's legislature, said that Ma Ying-jeou's visit to the mainland "is not a group to watch a movie" and asked Ma Ying-jeou to "declare sovereignty well, not to convey wrong information, and not to speak for the mainland" during his visit. Lai Ruilong, a representative of the Democratic Progressive Party, also said that Ma Ying-jeou should not behave unkindly towards Lai Qingde and "cooperate with the mainland's external propaganda." A few days ago, the list of people who went to Taiping Island was confirmed, and no one from the DPP signed up, and Tsai Ing-wen was even more reluctant to go to Taiping Island. As far as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is concerned, it does not even dare to go to Taiping Island to "declare sovereignty," and even shouts that Ma Ying-jeou will go to the mainland to "declare sovereignty." We can only see the DPP's powerlessness and incompetence in cross-strait policy.
In order to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, the most important thing is to show goodwill to each other and prevent further escalation of the situation caused by improper provocations. When Lai Ching-te is about to take office, the Taiwan authorities should maintain communication with the mainland instead of choosing confrontation. Ma Ying-jeou took the initiative to communicate with the mainland through channels. The DPP authorities should support, not erect obstacles. The more communication and dialogue there is, the more likely it is that conflict will be avoided, and I believe that this is what the people on both sides of the strait want to see.