Former President Ma Ying-jeou is set to visit China in four days. On Thursday, Premier Chen Chien-jen said that if Ma meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, he should underscore Taiwan’s sovereignty and independence. The remarks met a sharp rebuttal from Ma’s office, which asserted that Taiwan independence violates the R.O.C. Constitution.

Lai Shyh-bao
KMT lawmaker
Would you want to see a second meeting between Ma and Xi?

Chen Chien-jen
Premier
If the occasion presents itself, I hope Ma can underscore that Taiwan is a sovereign independent nation in front of Mr. Xi.

At the Legislative Yuan, Premier Chen Chien-jen said former President Ma Ying-jeou should champion Taiwan’s sovereignty and independence, if he meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The appeal was met with sharp criticism from Ma’s office, which released a statement accusing Taiwan independence supporters of violating the R.O.C. Constitution. The statement asserted that Taiwan is not a country but a part of China, defined as the R.O.C. It said the Constitution recognized just one China, and that the preamble to the Constitution’s Additional Articles mentions unification.

Hisao Hsu-tsen (March 26)
Ma Ying-jeou Foundation director
All President-elect Lai has to do is look at the R.O.C. Constitution and the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, which state that the relationship between the two sides of the strait is not that of two countries.

Lin Chun-hsien
DPP lawmaker
They are taking a submissive stance in hopes of gaining favor from Xi Jinping. We have been spending tens of millions every year on Ma Ying-jeou’s benefits as a retired head of state. That money isn’t provided by the 1.4 billion people across the strait. You shouldn’t become weak-kneed for the sake of trying to make history.

The convener of the Economic Democracy Union think tank, lawyer Lai Chung-chiang 賴中強, weighed in. He said that if, during the meeting with Xi, Ma declares that the two sides of the strait are one China, and agrees that China has sovereignty over Taiwan, it could be considered an act of treason and warrant prosecution.

Huang Jie
DPP lawmaker
From their point of view, when they talk about China they are referring to the “1992 Consensus.” But you have to look at the current state of things. Even China doesn’t find the “1992 Consensus” viable. If Ma Ying-jeou doesn’t think that the R.O.C. is a country, he should seek out his ancestors and go back to where he’s from.

Critics are slamming Ma for his visit to China, his potential meet with Xi, and his denial of Taiwan’s sovereignty.

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