Ma provides welcome reminder peace best way to go on Taiwan

For some time now, conventional wisdom among many Western observers seems to have shifted from it being a question of not whether mainland forces will invade Taiwan, but when. Each People’s Liberation Army military exercise, visit to Taipei by a US lawmaker, or sinking of a Chinese fishing boat fans tensions and offers fuel to the idea that Beijing is solely focused on resorting to force to retake the island.

So it was a refreshing reminder that there are other options on the table when President Xi Jinping greeted visiting former Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou on Wednesday with an 80-second handshake before talks that were conciliatory in tone. Xi told Ma there was “no problem that cannot be talked through”. In an apparent reference to the United States, Xi also warned against “foreign interference” that may stand in the way of a “family reunion”, which would allow both sides to work things out under the one-China principle.

Ma was wrapping up a mainland tour during which he spoke of the peaceful resolution of disputes and both sides of the Taiwan Strait being part of one China. His visit was a welcome reminder that there is, and has long been, a peaceful pathway to a resolution of tensions.

He made this clear in Beijing at a museum near the Marco Polo Bridge, where shooting in 1937 marked the start of the Japanese invasion ahead of the second world war. “I have always believed that there are no winners in war, and no losers in peace,” he said.

Ma’s 11-day journey was rife with symbolism and, with a delegation of students in tow, he encouraged young Taiwanese to be exposed to the mainland. In Shenzhen, he witnessed the hi-tech future, calling on a drone maker, electric-vehicle manufacturer and video game company. He celebrated the past in Shaanxi with a tribute to the legendary Yellow Emperor, or Huangdi, who ruled 5,000 years ago and from whom all Chinese are believed to have descended.

Ma and Xi first met for a summit in Singapore in 2015 – the first between the two sides since the 1949 civil war. Ma, former leader of the main opposition Kuomintang, left office in 2016, but is regarded as an influential figure in the Taiwan camp that is friendly to Beijing.

Tensions and risks remain. Beijing is wary of the next island leader, William Lai Ching-te of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, who takes office in May. Both sides stage regular military exercises. The US, while not recognising Taiwan as a state, is its biggest arms supplier, and has warships that tour the region.

Public sentiment can change, and perhaps Taiwan’s electorate may recognise merits in closer ties with the mainland. Perhaps they will remain more inclined towards the status quo, or continue to drift apart. In the meantime, Ma’s trip was a helpful reminder that there are options besides war when it comes to finding a resolution.