TAIPEI (TVBS News) — CEO Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation (馬英九基金會) on Tuesday (Feb. 11) expressed hope to invite Chinese students to Taiwan for tourism and sightseeing without facing penalties from the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC, 陸委會).
Hsiao's comments came after he traveled to Beijing with a group of 40 Taiwanese students on Monday for a five-day visit to foster cross-strait exchanges. The delegation visited the Yanqing Winter Olympic Village (延慶冬奧村) on Tuesday to experience skiing.
Marking the first youth delegation to visit China in the Year of the Snake, Hsiao highlighted the visit's significance, particularly amidst strained cross-strait relations. He further urged the government to reopen cross-strait tourism.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the meeting between Taiwan's former President Ma Ying-jeou and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). When asked by the media about the possibility of discussing a third Ma-Xi meeting (馬習會), Hsiao clarified that the focus of the visit is youth exchange rather than political discussions.