Lending credence to the unification bid, former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on 10th April. The last time the two leaders met was in 2015 in Singapore. Ma Ying was then the President of Taiwan. Both sides were apparently overwhelmed by the possibility of reuniting the two Chinas that separated amid the 1949 civil war. However, nothing happened during Ma’s tenure, nor has anything happened after his tenure, when he lost the elections in 2016. If there is a greater momentum noticeable in Taiwan regarding reuniting with mainland China, it is directed towards remaining independent.
The meeting was held in the Great Hall of the People. It was the first time a Taiwanese President or an ex-president had been received in the Great Hall. Xi’s address was focused on reunification. Xi said, “Compatriots on both sides of the strait are Chinese. He also said, “The difference in systems does not alter the objective fact that the two sides of the Strait are of one country and one nation.”
Ma Ying responded quite profusely. He felt a war would be an ‘unbearable burden’ for the Chinese nation. Ma is visiting in his personal capacity. He calls the visit a journey of peace and friendship. He is accompanied mainly by students. However, in Taiwan, younger people are drifting away from perceived linkages to an ancestral Chinese identity. These younger people are Taiwanese.
Across the Taiwan Strait, the president-elect of Taiwan, Lai Ching-te, would follow every minute of his predecessor’s visit to Taiwan. Not that he would have expected some warmth from across the Straits, yet Xi’s words tell the story and chart the route China will navigate as he leads the nation.
The biggest strength that Lai can rely on as he holds the reins is the support of the Taiwanese people. In January 2024, the Taiwanese people voted for the Democratic Progressive Party to give him their consent to lead the country for the next four years.
China has been belligerent in the South China Sea for a long time. It’s also been enacting hostile acts across the Taiwan Straits. Dozens of Chinese fighter jets often fly over the South China Sea and across the Taiwan Air Defence Identification Zone. These flights have increased in numbers and are off late. In September 2023, the count of aircraft in a single day was China has also been undertaking military exercises around Taiwan to coerce its leaders. These exercises include naval drills for blockading Taiwan. All these Chinese measures make a suitable package of Grey Zone warfare. The hard kinetic element is thus not fielded, but the opponent, especially Taiwan, having far fewer resources, is ultimately worn out.
So far, the Taiwanese have displayed remarkable resilience. Nor is China quite so strong as to launch a cross-strait operation. Ma Ying-jeou’s visit is unlikely to cut any ice in Taiwan. Accepting a merger with mainland China will not shoot up with this visit.
Brig SK Chatterji (Retd)
