Taiwan's former President Ma to visit China in landmark trip

Taiwan's ex-President Ma Ying-jeou will become the first current or former president to cross the Taiwan strait as he makes a visit to China next week for a 12-day trip, his spokesperson announced on Monday.

Ma will be traveling in a private capacity, but with the stated aim of easing tensions between Beijing and Taipei that have become heightened under Ma's successor, President Tsai Ing-wen.

The visit will include stops in Nanjing, Wuhan and Shanghai among others, but not in Beijing itself. The former president will also take part in Tomb Sweeping Day — a traditional festival to honor one's ancestors.

President Tsai's office criticized the plan, saying "The people of Taiwan cannot accept a retired head of state becoming a pawn in the [Chinese Communist Party's] promotion of unification."

China's Taiwan Affairs Office welcomed the news and it would "provide the necessary assistance."

Ma's close ties to China

During Ma's time in office, the self-governed island had grown closer to the mainland, leading to concerns that Taiwan was becoming inextricably pulled into China's orbit.

The now-opposition Nationalist Party, the Kuomingtang, has maintained connections with the Chinese Communist Party despite the two being historic rivals during the Chinese civil war which led to the foundation of Taiwan as a self-governing island.

Ma met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Singapore in 2015 in a landmark meeting.

But Beijing cut all ties with Taipei the following year when the Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) took office.

The DPP considers Taiwan to be sovereign state and has sought closer ties with the United States. China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and pledged to take back control.

Boost for Beijing

Observers have pointed out that it is unlikely the trip will have any major impact on resolving tensions between the two sides.

Hoo Tiang Boon, a professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore who studies Chinese foreign policy, told the Associated Press that the symbolic visit will most likely benefit Beijing.

"Then they can then show they are not against Taiwan, they are not against the Taiwanese people," he said. "It's the DPP and what they deem as separatists causing provocations in cross-strait relations."

Taiwan's presidential elections will be held in January next year with the Kuomingtang and the DPP the most likely top parties.