Taiwan's Ma Ying Jeou to visit China this month

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Taiwan's Ma Ying Jeou to visit China this month

A senior official from Ma Ying Jeou's office said the former Taiwan president would be on a historic trip to China later this month.

What Happened: Ma's trip to China is intended to pay tribute to the graves of his ancestors in the country. The former leader doesn't rule out meeting senior Beijing officials during the visit, according to Reuters.

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Ma said he is at his host when it comes to meeting Chinese but there is no plans for him to visit Beijing and the trip is planned for Central China. The top Taiwanie leader will be the first former or living president to visit China since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 at the end of a civil war with the Communists.

In late 2015, Ma met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Singapore, shortly before Tsai Ing Wen, the current Taiwan president, won an election. The visit came amid high-end tension across the Strait as Beijing ramped up pressure on Taipei to accept its sovereignty claims.

Ma Ying Jeou Foundation director Hsiao Hsu Tsen told the media The trip is to central China and we have not arranged for Ma to go to Beijing. Hsiao said that we are at the disposal of our hosts.

He believes that the two sides have entered an icebound state in the last few years. If young people can communicate and have dialogue, it will definitely reduce the current tensions, Hsiao said.

Taiwan's Presidential Office said it had been informed of Ma's plans to visit China from March 27 - April 7. Tsai hopes that Ma will demonstrate Taiwan's values of democracy and freedom on his trip.

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