Taiwan’s ruling DPP slams former leader Ma Ying-jeou over Straits Forum comments
Last Updated on June 16, 2025 9:32 pm
By Lawrence Chungin Taipei
Beijing has rolled out the red carpet for Ma Ying-jeou, the first former Taiwanese leader to take part in the Straits Forum, the 17th edition of which opened in Fujian province on Sunday.
But back home, Ma is facing a fierce backlash from pro-independence politicians and critics, who accuse the former Kuomintang chairman of “dancing with Beijing” to undermine Taiwan’s political standing.
The annual cross-strait forum is branded by Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as a centrepiece of Beijing’s “united front” operations, which aim to extend the Communist Party’s influence and control beyond mainland China. Ma’s comments at the latest event have further intensified those accusations.
Addressing the forum’s opening ceremony in the southeastern city of Xiamen, Ma reiterated that only by adhering to the “1992 consensus” and opposing Taiwan independence could both sides of the Taiwan Strait achieve a peaceful and positive outcome.
The 1992 consensus, a mutual understanding that there is only “one China”, was reached when the KMT was in power in Taipei.
Ma’s remarks were echoed by Wang Huning – Beijing’s No 4 official and a member of the Communist Party’s all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee.
Wang emphasised the need to uphold the one-China principle and the consensus, while calling for resolute opposition to “Taiwan independence” and foreign interference.
He also pledged that Beijing would continue to “deepen cross-strait integration” and give Taiwanese a stronger “sense of gain, happiness and belonging”.
Ma’s speech, interpreted by the independence-leaning DPP government as aligning with Beijing’s political messaging, was met with swift condemnation back in Taiwan.
The island’s Mainland Affairs Council, which oversees cross-strait policy, expressed “deep regret” over Ma’s comments.
“Ma Ying-jeou’s remarks during meetings with Chinese officials and at the forum – echoing Beijing’s political agenda of the 1992 consensus under the one-China principle – stand in stark contrast to the Taiwanese people’s understanding of cross-strait relations and their support for maintaining the status quo,” the council said in a statement on Monday.
The Straits Forum was “widely recognised by the Taiwanese public as a platform for the Communist Party of China’s united front tactics”, said the council, whose top leadership is appointed by the sitting government in Taipei.
The council added that its repeated warnings about the forum’s political nature had caused a marked decline in participation by Taiwanese governments and civic groups in recent years, with many “unwilling to be used as propaganda props”.
“Any participation in exchange activities in China should uphold national sovereignty and the interests of the Taiwanese people,” it said.
DPP lawmakers, meanwhile, accused Ma of “dancing” with Beijing and betraying Taiwan’s interests.
In a video statement on Monday, DPP legislator Lai Jui-lung noted that the council had identified the forum as a united front tool even during Ma’s time in office.
“It is inappropriate and disgraceful for him to now take part in the same platform after leaving office,” Lai said, adding: “Ma’s remarks at the forum amounted to dancing in step with the Chinese Communists.”
Ma’s actions could “seriously damage Taiwan’s national dignity and diminish its international standing”, he warned, adding that they could also jeopardise the KMT’s standing as Taiwan’s main opposition party.
Fellow DPP lawmaker Chiu Chih-wei echoed the criticism, describing Ma’s repeated visits to mainland China and alignment with Beijing’s narrative as “dangerous”.
He also urged the authorities to investigate whether Ma had violated Taiwanese law by cooperating with Beijing to undermine Taiwan’s interests.
In response, the KMT accused the ruling party of applying double standards. Without naming Ma, it pointed out that the DPP had remained silent when its own politicians visited the mainland, yet routinely condemned opposition figures for allegedly betraying Taiwan’s interests for doing the same.
Hsiao Hsu-tsen, executive director of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, a youth-focused non-profit organisation set up by the former leader in 2018, asserted that Ma’s participation in the forum was fully in line with Taiwan’s constitution and relevant cross-strait laws.
He also dismissed accusations that Ma was echoing Beijing’s one-China principle by invoking the 1992 consensus, calling such claims “a joke”.
“The 1992 consensus is grounded in the Constitution of the Republic of China,” Hsiao said, referring to Taiwan by its official name. “It’s a historical fact and the only viable path to breaking the deadlock in cross-strait negotiations.”
Dismissing the council’s characterisation of the forum as a united front tool as “fearmongering”, he argued that the claim lacked any legal foundation and challenged the officials to a public debate.
Ma, who served as leader of Taiwan from 2008 to 2016, is a long-time proponent of the 1992 consensus as a framework for cross-strait peace. The formula – a verbal understanding reached between Taipei’s then-KMT government and Beijing in 1992 – asserts that there is only “one China”, but that each side can interpret what “China” means.
While the KMT frames the consensus as a flexible compromise, Beijing – which has not ruled out forcible reunification – insists the agreement reinforces its claim over the self-ruled island and views it as the foundation for cross-strait engagement.
Most countries, including the United States, Taipei’s main international backer and arms supplier, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state. However, Washington has repeatedly warned against any unilateral attempt to alter the status quo, particularly by force, and is legally committed to arming Taiwan for defence.
Ma, who left for Xiamen on Saturday, is leading a youth delegation on a two-week tour of mainland China, his fourth cross-strait visit since March 2023. On Monday, he visited Xiamen Airlines, one of the mainland carriers that launched direct cross-strait flights in 2005.
He met President Xi Jinping in Singapore in 2015, and again in Beijing in April last year.
Ma is expected to continue his tour through Taiwan-facing Fujian province before heading northwest to Gansu, where the group will attend a traditional ceremony honouring Fuxi, the ancestor of the Han Chinese according to legend.