BEIJING (TVBS News) — Former President Ma Ying-jeou concluded his 11-day visit to mainland China on Thursday (April 11), returning to Taiwan after being seen off by the deputy director of China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO).
Ma was escorted at Beijing's Beijing Capital International Airport by TAO Deputy Director Pan Xianzhang and Beijing Executive Deputy Mayor Xia Linmao, among others. The day prior, Ma held a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, dubbed the "Ma-Xi Second Meeting."
During his 11-day visit, Ma also toured Guangdong Province, Shaanxi, and Beijing. In addition to Xi, Ma publicly met with Huang Kunming, a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Yin Li, CCP secretary of Beijing Municipality, and TAO Director Song Tao.
Ma's meetings with Chinese leaders in his capacity as Taiwan's former president, and his assertion that "both sides of the strait belong to the Chinese nation," have drawn attention across the strait and sparked discussions on identity and nationalism.