A rush to make history between China and Taiwan
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Tomorrow's meeting in Singapore between Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou and his mainland Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping is a milestone in cross-strait relations, marking the first-ever meeting between leaders of the two countries. But the question is, why
More specifically, why now for mainland China? The Ma administration has been clamouring for a meeting with Xi since 2013. Taipei suggested to Beijing that Ma could represent Taiwan while attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit in Beijing in 2014, breaking Taiwan’s unwritten protocol of sending non-political officials to the regional forum.
Ma’s idea was to meet Xi in his capacity as a leader of a member of the economic forum, circumventing the thorny cross-strait sovereignty issue. Beijing rejected the idea, likely alarmed at the idea of a Taiwanese president gaining exposure at a high-profile summit of international heads of state.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council pointed out that this time it was Beijing that had initiated the upcoming meeting. Beijing is calling for a meeting close to the end of Ma’s tenure in a bid to set a milestone while the pro-China KMT is still in power. The hope is that the landmark meeting will perpetuate momentum for closer cross-strait ties, making it harder for future Taiwanese administrations to reverse the trend.
Mainland China is also looking to boost the slim chances of the KMT in next year’s presidential and legislative elections.
Here, Beijing has plainly failed to learn a lesson from 1996, when its strong-handed manoeuvre during the missile crisis backfired by causing more anger than fear in Taiwan. Beijing should by now have learned that attempts to influence Taiwanese politics have limited, and mostly counterproductive, results.
Ma will regard the meeting as his chance to cement his legacy as a cross-strait peacemaker. Also, after leaving office, he could become Taiwan’s unofficial liaison with China, a role that has been played by KMT honorary chairman Lien Chan.
No matter what Ma and Xi hope to gain from the meeting, the suddenness of its planning points to a sense that the party is over for both sides. The meeting appears to be a rush to achieve whatever they can before the page is turned.
