TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is poised to make another significant cross-strait journey as he prepares to attend the Straits Forum in mainland China (People's Republic of China, PRC) on June 15, marking his continued personal diplomacy with Beijing. Meanwhile, the opposition Kuomintang party (國民黨, KMT), Taiwan's historically China-friendly political party, has opted against sending high-ranking officials to the prominent cross-strait event, citing an "ongoing recall period" as the reason for their absence, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of cross-strait relations.
The KMT's decision marks a departure from established protocol, as the party traditionally dispatches senior leadership to the annual gathering. Previous delegations included vice chairman-level representatives such as Andrew Hsia (夏立言) and Sean Lien (連勝文), son of former vice president Lien Chan, underscoring the event's importance in cross-strait engagement. This year's strategy shift appears to have diplomatic backing, with a source close to the discussions revealing that KMT officials and their Chinese counterparts reached a "mutual understanding" regarding the absence of formal party representation at the forum.
When approached for confirmation, Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑), executive director of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation (馬英九基金會), the former president's policy organization, stopped short of explicitly verifying Ma's planned attendance at the forum. Instead, Hsiao highlighted the foundation's commitment to fostering meaningful cross-strait dialogue as a mechanism for reducing regional tensions. The foundation has already established a track record in this area, having arranged three mainland visits for students from the "Dajiu Academy" since 2023. Hsiao indicated that similar educational exchanges would continue, with future initiatives to be announced once finalized, while encouraging broader civilian-led engagement between Taiwan and China. ◼