«——【Preamble】】 ——
On April 11 this year, Ma Ying-jeou successfully concluded his visit to the mainland and took a flight back to Taiwan; unlike his previous cautious attitude toward cross-strait relations, Ma Ying-jeou expressed his views to the media immediately after getting off the plane at Taoyuan Airport, highlighting the subtle changes that are taking place in cross-strait relations.
He stressed that although the political systems, concepts of life, and values on both sides of the strait are different, the people on both sides of the strait belong to the Chinese nation and are all descendants of Yan and Huang, and as this sentence was reported, the situation in Taiwan has also changed, and Lai Qingde's move has added a fire to the reunification of the two sides of the strait.
«——【·Visit to China】——
Another important goal of Ma Ying-jeou's trip is to build a bond of interest between the island's youth and mainland enterprises, and during the 11-day trip, he led the young people to visit Tencent, DJI, and other top companies in Chinese mainland, which are not only representatives of Chinese mainland, but also the world's leading technology and innovation institutions.
Through visiting these enterprises, Taiwanese young people not only understand the business environment and technological development of the mainland, but also see the opportunities for future employment and development, especially in the context of Taiwan's economic recession, going to the mainland for employment and entrepreneurship has become an attractive choice, and these leading enterprises in the mainland are also actively recruiting Taiwanese youth, providing them with more opportunities for employment and development.
The establishment of such ties of interest will help deepen cross-strait economic ties, and also create more opportunities for cross-strait youth exchanges, and through interaction with mainland enterprises, Taiwanese young people can gain a broader perspective and understand the mainland's business culture and working environment. Such exchanges will not only help their own development, but also contribute to the stability and deepening of cross-strait relations.
Second, during Ma Ying-jeou's stay on the mainland, he felt the cultural ties between the two sides of the strait. When he visited the Xi'an branch of the National Editions Pavilion, he saw the common cultural characteristics of the two sides of the strait, which made him realize that the two sides of the strait are not only political differences, but also have deep historical and cultural roots.
This cultural connection became an important impetus for his change of attitude, as it showed that cross-strait exchanges could transcend political differences and find common ground based on a common national identity.
Moreover, the mainland side gave him an extremely high-level reception, which made him feel the sincerity of the mainland, and during his stay on the mainland, he was not only received by high-ranking officials, but also met with the top leadership.
This kind of courtesy, which is very rare for a retired leader, also made him realize the importance that the mainland attaches to cross-strait peace, and this high-level reception inspired him to have a positive attitude towards cross-strait relations, prompting him to take the initiative to speak out after returning to Taiwan.
«——[Lai Qingde's "Taiwan independence" ambitions·——
In stark contrast to Ma Ying-jeou's visit to the mainland, there is a change of regime on the island of Taiwan, where Lai Qingde is about to take office, which is considered a potential source of instability in the Taiwan Strait, and Lai's "Taiwan independence" stance even surpasses that of Tsai Ing-wen, indicating that the political situation on the island may face greater fluctuations.
As he was about to take office, a series of incidents occurred in Taiwan, such as the collision of fishing boats and the live-fire exercise in Kinmen, which further aggravated the uncertainty of the situation in the Taiwan Strait.
Under these circumstances, Ma Ying-jeou's visit to the mainland has provided an opportunity to ease the situation, and his visit has been widely recognized by all circles on the island, and even within the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) it has no choice but to re-examine the direction of cross-strait relations.
The election of the leader of Taiwan Province has always been an important indicator of the political atmosphere on the island, and this election has also become a critical moment for the people of Taiwan Province to make a choice between danger and peace; Lai Ching-te made no secret of his dependence on the United States during the election campaign, and even openly stated that if he is elected, Taiwan Province will serve as "cannon fodder" for the United States and may be drawn into the whirlpool of war.
The election of such a person is tantamount to taking Taiwan inappropriately, so more people in Taiwan have begun to question and oppose Lai Ching-te's election.
«——【Mainland's Firm Position·】——
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi pointed out in a speech that China will fight back against external interference and safeguard the "one-China" international pattern with a resolute and forceful struggle.
The mainland side has made it clear that it will resolutely crack down on any attempt to split the country, and this clear stand not only reflects the mainland's firm determination, but also expresses the mainland people's support for cross-strait reunification.
With Ma Ying-jeou's visit to the mainland, the development of cross-strait relations has entered a new stage, and Ma Ying-jeou has injected new vitality into the future of cross-strait relations through on-the-spot visits, the establishment of ties of interests, and the promotion of exchanges between young people on both sides of the strait.
In such an environment, Ma Ying-jeou's positive remarks may bring new hope for the development of cross-strait relations, but in order to achieve peace and reunification, it is still necessary to overcome the obstruction of the DPP authorities and the vacillation of the KMT. The mainland's goodwill and firm determination will continue to push the cross-strait issue toward peace and stability.
«——【Taiwan's Future·】——
In the future, the direction of cross-strait relations will depend on political changes within Taiwan and the attitude of the mainland, and if Lai Ching-te continues to pursue an aggressive policy, the stability of the Taiwan region will be threatened, which may lead to further deterioration of cross-strait relations.
If Taiwan can adhere to the "consensus of '92" and adopt a more moderate policy, it will help ease the tense relations between the two sides of the strait and promote the process of peaceful reunification between the two sides of the strait; on the whole, Taiwan's future depends on cooperation and communication between the two sides of the strait, and Ma Ying-jeou's visit to the mainland shows the sincerity of the mainland side and also highlights the potential of cross-strait cooperation.
«——【·Conclusion·】——
Ma Ying-jeou's historic visit to the mainland has been widely acclaimed, and through his visit, the mainland has demonstrated its sincerity to the people on the island for peace and emphasized the fact that both sides of the strait belong to the Chinese nation.
Peace and reunification are the common aspirations of the people on both sides of the strait, and it is hoped that in the near future, Taiwan will be completely reunified.
Resources
Straight news: Ma Ying-jeou returned to Taipei and smiled, and then talked about "belonging to China"丨Bay Area Wanghai
Xinhua News Agency: A Cultural Journey Connecting History, Reality and the Future -- A Record of Ma Ying-jeou's Revisit to the Mainland by Taiwanese Youth
China News Network: Visiting Taiwan Youth with Ma Ying-jeou to Review the Mainland Trip: Only by experiencing it can you know what is beautiful
China's Taiwan Network: Adhere to the "92 Consensus" and Oppose "Taiwan Independence"! Ma Ying-jeou's second visit to the mainland has sent an important signal