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Ma Ying-jeou

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Ma Ying-jeou

Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九; Mǎ Yīngjiǔ; born 13 July 1950) is a politician in Taiwan (Republic of China). He served as the President of the Republic of China from 20 May 2008 to 20 May 2016.

Political issues

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  • Both the 228 Incident (White Terror in Taiwan) and the June 4 Incident (Tiananmen Square Incident in Beijing) are like mirrors, reminding the leaders on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to engage in soul-searching and learn lessons.
    • Ma Ying-jeou (2013) cited in: "Ma calls for rights tolerance in China" in The Taipei Times, 5 June 2013.
    • Statement made in commemorating the 24th anniversary of the Tiananmen incident, 4 June 2013.
  • The mistakes of history might be gradually forgotten, but historical truth cannot be forgotten, since forgetting history could lead to the recurrence of the same mistakes.
  • Anyone who embraces the Republic of China with all of their heart definitely does not support the Taiwan independence movement.

Defense issues

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  • The military should learn a lesson from the incident and correct its mistakes immediately after a review of its system. We must restore the people’s faith in the military.
    • Ma Ying-jeou (2013) cited in: "Minister repeats apologies over death" in The Taipei Times, 19 July 2013.
    • Statement made at the Republic of China Veterans Association meeting in Taipei commenting on the death of army corporal Hung Chung-chiu, 18 July 2013.

Diplomatic issues

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  • This (Taiwanese fisherman shot by Philippines coast guard incident) is not a problem between the people of Taiwan and the people of the Philippines. This is a problem between the people of Taiwan and the Philippine administration.
    • Ma Ying-jeou (2013) cited in: "Feud not between Filipinos and Taiwanese, says Ma Ying-jeou" in Asia News Network, 23 May 2013.
    • Statement made during the Central Standing Committee of Kuomintang weekly meeting regarding the shooting incident of Taiwanese fisherman by Philippines coast guard at the disputed sea territory in South China Sea, 22 May 2013.

Strait issues

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  • I think mutual denial of each other’s sovereignty (between ROC and PRC) and mutual non-denial of respective jurisdictions would be more appropriate, but any proposal has its pros and cons, and I think it’s up for discussion.
  • Since 1949, China has been temporarily divided, and each side of the Taiwan Strait is administered by a separate political entity. This is an objective reality.
  • We do not and will not promote 'two Chinas', 'one China and one Taiwan' or 'Taiwan independence'. Taiwan and Mainland China share the common heritage. Both sides of the Taiwan Strait are part of the Chinese nation. Their people are descendants of the same ancestors. The people of mainland China and the people of Taiwan share a common bloodline, history and culture. And after five years of peaceful exchange, the two sides have created an unprecedented horizon for the Chinese nation, as well as set an example, not only for East Asia but also for the entire world, on how to settle disputes peacefully. With mutual non-recognition of sovereignty and mutual non-denial of jurisdiction as guiding principles, both sides should continue to expand and deepen their ties in areas such as commerce, culture, technology, environmental protection and human rights.
    • Ma Ying-jeou (2013) cited in: "Gov't won't push 2 Chinas, independence: Ma" in The Taipei Times, 30 April 2013.
    • Statement made during the 20th anniversary of Koo-Wang Talks at the Straits Exchange Foundation in Taipei, 28 April 2013.
  • There will be no national flags or other kinds of flags designed to specify cross-strait relations inside or outside the offices because we are not foreign nations to each other.
    • Ma Ying-jeou (2013) cited in: "Ma defends cross-strait offices proposal" in The Taipei Times, 24 April 2013.
    • Statement made in interview with Chinese-language United Evening News in response to the establishment of reciprocal representative office between Taiwan and Mainland China, in which Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation office will be established in Mainland China, while Mainland China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits office will be established in Taiwan, 23 April 2013.
  • The two sides of the Taiwan Strait will deepen cross-strait exchanges, and it will be difficult to continue such exchanges without representative offices.
    • Ma Ying-jeou (2013) cited in: "Legislators stall cross-strait office draft" in The Taipei Times, 21 June 2013.
    • Statement made at KMT Headquarter in commenting the stall negotiation in establishing reciprocal representative office across the Taiwan Strait, 20 June 2013.
  • Pragmatically speaking, there exists no possibility of Taiwan independence. The only option (for Taiwan) is whether to reunify (with Mainland China) or not.
  • No ruling out the possibility of unification with China, no support for Taiwanese independence and no use of force.

Economic Issues

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  • Renewable energy has its limitations and the government cannot put all its eggs in the same basket. We must develop different sources of energy, otherwise an energy crisis could result in a serious national security issue.

Other topics

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  • We have no reason to be pessimistic about the (cross-strait service trade) agreement or to be afraid of its impact. The government will try its best to minimize possible damage and maximize the business opportunities the agreement can create.
    • Ma Ying-jeou (2013) cited in: "Trade pact failure would hurt our reputation: Ma" in The Taipei Times, 4 July 2013.
    • Statement made in Taichung in commenting on the recently signed cross-strait service trade agreement between ARATS and SEF in Shanghai, 3 July 2013.
  • Providing compensation (to the victims of White Terror) will not write off the incidents once and for all.
  • In 1992, the two sides (Taiwan and Mainland China) reached a consensus that each side would verbally express their adherence to the one China principle.
    • Ma Ying-jeou (2013) cited in: "Ma dishonest in avowal of the ‘1992 consensus’" in The Taipei Times, 26 July 2013.
    • Statement made in response to the congratulating message sent by Xi Jinping via telegram after Ma Ying-jeou was reelected as the Chairman of KMT, 20 July 2013.
  • Our relationship with mainland China is very subtle. We don’t have a state-to-state relationship and we do not view mainland China as a foreign state.
    • Ma Ying-jeou (2013) cited in: "Ma says he will only talk with Xi ‘as president’" in The Taipei Times, 27 July 2013.
    • Statement made at the Presidential Office in Taipei commenting on the possibility of Ma Ying-jeou meeting up with Xi Jinping before end of Ma's term in 2016, 25 July 2013.
  • We know that Hong Kong, after the handover to mainland China, has been trying for universal suffrage … We know that mainland China has made promises and we're of course pleased to see Hong Kong changing in this direction.
  • The timing and conditions are ripe for the two sides to set up representative offices (ARATS in Taiwan and SEF in Mainland China). There are no political implications to the plan and the functions of the offices will be basically neutral.
  • The people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are all Chinese by ethnicity. Cross-strait relations are not international relations. Each side acknowledges the existence of "one China", but maintains its own interpretation based on the 1992 Consensus.
  • It is impossible for us to recognize (mainland China) as another nation within our (Republic of China) territory.
    • Ma Ying-jeou (2013) cited in: "Cross-strait political issues not being shied from: Ma" in Taipei Times, 23 October 2013.
    • Statement made during the meeting with Kuomintang delegation at the Presidential Office in Taipei heading to the cross-strait forum with the Communist Party of China in Nanning, Guangxi Province, 22 October 2013.
  • They (opposition) say we are selling out Taiwan and that we lost something, but they never say what exactly we have lost.
  • Not everyone understands this. But we (ROC government) have done what needed to be done, and we will keep doing so until the very end.
    • Ma Ying-jeou (2013) cited in: "Time not right for political talks with China: Ma" in Taipei Times, 26 October 2013.
    • Statement made in commenting his record-low approval rating and saying that he has no desire to change the cross-strait relations policies, 25 October 2013.
  • Traditional Chinese characters carry both cultural significance and artistic values and promoting these characters has nothing to do with any political stance. It's very important for us not to sacrifice the characters for tourism.
  • We must actively engage in regional economic integration, as Taiwan is an island with few natural resources and a relatively small economy. Taiwan had signed very few free-trade agreements in the past. How can we not be in a hurry to catch up?
    • Ma Ying-jeou (2014) cited in: "President seeks support for liberalization policies" in Taipei Times, 2 January 2014.
    • Statement made during 2014 New Year's Day address in commenting Taiwan's fallen economic performance behind many other countries, 1 January 2014.
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