Ying-jeou Ma

Ma Ying-jeou ( zh, t=馬英九; pinyin: ''Mǎ Yīngjiǔ''; ; born 13 July 1950) is a Taiwanese politician, lawyer, and legal scholar who served as the sixth president of the Republic of China from 2008 to 2016. A member of the Kuomintang (KMT), he was previously the mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006 and the chairman of the Kuomintang for two terms (2005–2007; 2009–2014).

Ma was born in British Hong Kong to a prominent ''waishengren'' family that moved to Taiwan in 1952. After graduating from National Taiwan University, Ma joined the Republic of China Marine Corps and attained the rank of lieutenant. He then studied law in the United States, where he earned a master's degree from New York University in 1976 and his doctorate from Harvard University in 1981.

After practicing law in the United States, Ma became a bureau director and English translator for President Chiang Ching-kuo. From 1988 to 1996, he held office first as chair of the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission, becoming the youngest cabinet member at age 38, and then as head of the Ministry of Justice, where he launched anti-corruption and anti-drug campaigns. In the 1998 Taipei mayoral election, he successfully ran against incumbent Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). During his mayoralty, he was elected as KMT chairman in 2005 and left the position in 2007 to announce his candidacy in the 2008 Taiwanese presidential election, eventually defeating DPP nominee Frank Hsieh in a landslide majority of 58.45 percent.

Ma's presidency was defined by closer cross-strait relations with mainland China. He initiated a series of cross-strait summits (2008–2015), was elected again as party chairman in 2009, and signed the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement with the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 2010. After defeating Tsai Ing-wen and being re-elected in the 2012 presidential election, Ma's second term saw the September 2013 power struggle and the Sunflower Student Movement protests damage party reputation in the 2014 elections, leading to his resignation as KMT chair. Subsequently, he held the 2015 Ma–Xi meeting in Singapore, marking the first meeting between the leaders of the PRC and ROC since the Chinese Civil War. After leaving the presidency in 2016, Ma became a law professor at Soochow University and has remained active in KMT politics.

Early life and education

Youth and baptism

Ma was born in Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei in Kowloon (then part of British Hong Kong) on 13 July 1950. In a family of five children, Ma was the fourth child and the only son. They were a upper-class, prominent political family in Taiwan. Their ancestral home was in Fufeng, Shaanxi Province, and Ma's ancestors had migrated from Shaanxi to Jiangxi and then finally to Hunan. His early ancestor was the famous Chinese general Ma Chao (176–222) who rose to fame in the Three Kingdoms period and was immortalized in the ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms.''

Ma's mother was , a well-known civil servant. His father, Ma Ho-ling, was born in Xiangtan and had joined the Kuomintang and its youth army in 1941. Ho-ling moved to Taiwan during the 1949 Kuomintang retreat but briefly returned to mainland China, where he eventually moved from Chongqing to Hong Kong. In October 1951, Ho-ling once again moved his family to Taiwan, where he worked as a mid-rank Kuomintang official.

Ma is of Hakka ancestry and speaks Hakka Chinese. He was a one year old infant when the family moved to Taiwan. Since the family was Catholic, he was raised in the Catholic faith. While growing up in Taiwan in the 1950s, Ma attended Catholic services and went with his grandmother every Sunday to Catholic mass and confession. At age eight, he was reportedly baptised a Catholic at a Catholic Church in Hong Kong. He also received a baptism at Resurrection church on Dali Street in Taipei near the Huaxi Street Night Market. Ma is the only Taiwanese president to be a member of the Catholic Church.

Because he was the family's only son, Ma was pressured to succeed academically by his father, who insisted that he study the Chinese classics, master Chinese calligraphy, and practice track and field. In 1966, while a high school student, Ma decided to study law in college after being advised by his father to pursue a career similar to that of diplomat Wellington Koo. After graduating from Taipei Municipal Chien Kuo High School, he joined the KMT in June 1968 and became a young activist for the party. He passed with high marks on the General Scholastic Ability Test and entered National Taiwan University (NTU) in September 1968 to study law.

College and law school

As an undergraduate student at NTU, Ma was the leader of a small KMT student group, became secretary-general of the university's student council, and encountered the ''baodiao'' movement. In his third year at the university, he was selected by the United States Department of State to travel to the U.S. as a student leader for its International Visitors Program and stayed in the country for 70 days from January 1971 to March 1971. Ma traveled to Honolulu, Hawaii, and resided with an American family in San Francisco for three weeks. He visited 20 universities, including the University of Chicago, Harvard University, Georgetown University, and the University of Texas at Austin. Upon returning to Taiwan, he led student groups at NTU to march to the American Institute in Taiwan and the Japan–Taiwan Exchange Association in Taipei in protest of Japanese involvement in the Senkaku Islands dispute.

Ma excelled academically and is considered to have received the most outstanding education of any Taiwanese president. In 1972, he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree from National Taiwan University. After graduation, he was conscripted into the Republic of China Marine Corps of the ROC Navy and was stationed at the Naval Logistics Command in Zuoying District. After serving two years in the navy, Ma was awarded the KMT's Sun Yat-sen Scholarship in 1974 to complete graduate studies in the United States, which he used at New York University (NYU) and then at Harvard University. In 1976, he earned his Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree specializing in international law from the New York University School of Law, where he studied public international law under professor Thomas M. Franck and aviation law under professor Andreas Lowenfeld. George Zeitlin, the associate dean at NYU, recognized Ma at graduation for an "outstanding academic record and performance".Upon completing his master's degree at NYU, Ma enrolled in Harvard Law School as a doctoral student studying under professors Louis B. Sohn, Jerome A. Cohen, and Harold J. Berman. He also did research under Judge Richard Reeve Baxter of the International Court of Justice. While at Harvard, he was classmates with Taiwanese vice-president Annette Lu in 1978, diplomat Stephen Orlins, and legal scholar William Alford. Although Lu and Ma were not on speaking terms, Cohen, who was Ma's teacher and Lu's advisor, recalled in 2006 that Ma "was a brilliant student" and that both he and Lu were "entitled to be there".
In 1981, Ma received his Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.), Harvard's most advanced law degree, in ocean law and international economic law from Harvard Law School. As he completed his doctorate, Ma attended congressional hearings at the U.S. Congress and served as the editor-in-chief of ''Free Chinese Monthly'', an anti-communist Chinese magazine published in Boston. He also was an editor of the ''Harvard Environmental Law Review''. His doctoral thesis, completed in December 1980, was titled "Trouble over Oily Waters: Legal Problems of Seabed Boundaries and Foreign Investment in the East China Sea" and was supervised by Sohn and Detlev F. Vagts. The dissertation analyzed the Sino-Japanese sovereignty conflicts over the Senkaku Islands.

Early career and rise in politics (1981–1996)

After earning his doctorate, Ma worked as an associate attorney for the Wall Street law firm of Cole and Deitz, a legal consultant for the First National Bank of Boston, and as a researcher at the University of Maryland Law School, all from 1980 to 1981. As a researcher at the University of Maryland, College Park under Taiwanese law professor Hungdah Chiu, Ma published some academic papers. Articles he wrote in Taiwanese newspapers on communism and Taiwan–United States relations attracted the attention of President Chiang Ching-kuo. In September 1981, Ma returned to Taiwan and was introduced by Fredrick Chien to President Chiang Ching-kuo, who appointed Ma as his personal English secretary and interpreter. That same year, he became an adjunct associate professor of law at National Chengchi University, a role he remained in until 1998. Ma concurrently served as Deputy Director of the First Bureau of the Presidential Office. In 1982, he was named the senior secretary of the Office of the President at the Presidential Office Building.

At age 38, Ma was named the chairman of the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission under the Executive Yuan—the cabinet's youngest-ever appointee. He would go on to serve as deputy head of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), a cabinet office responsible for managing Taiwan's relationship with mainland China. For his administrative experience and close ties with Chiang, Ma was appointed to multiple KMT party positions after 1984: director of the Mainland Tasks Committee (1988), deputy secretary general of the KMT Central Committee (1990), deputy director of the KMT National Unification Committee (1991), and KMT representative to the National Assembly. In 1987, Chiang tasked Ma to produce a memorandum regarding allowing Taiwanese citizens family visits to China; once completed, the report was received favorably by high-ranking KMT officials and implemented. At the time of Chiang's death in 1988, Ma was leading reform efforts regarding censorship in Taiwan.

In 1993, Ma received national attention when President Lee Teng-hui and Premier Lien Chan appointed him as Minister of Justice.; . At age 43, he was considered a handsome new official whose "dynamism and good looks quickly made him the darling of public opinion". He initiated hardline policies of prosecuting corruption, power abuse, and political scandals, drawing criticism from KMT party officials that were involved in and reliant on local corruption. Among the anti-corruption programs instituted was the "Taking the Knife to Corruption" plan centered on a doctrine of "incorruptibility and ability" in government. KMT officials complained that he "shook the foundations of the party" as 341 of 883 elected councilmen in 1994 were indicted for buying votes. His campaigns against vote buying while in office earned him the nickname "Mr. Clean". In addition, he began an anti-drug campaign and organized the ministry to restrict narcotics.

Ma built a reputation for honesty as head of the Ministry of Justice due to "frequently jailing politicians, including candidates for elective office, for vote-buying and other corrupt practices". As a result of his tough on crime approach, Ma lost party support and was relieved of the position in 1996, becoming a minister without portfolio. He decided to return to academia afterwards and accepted another teaching position at National Chengchi University. When he left office, Ma was one of the most popular politicians in Taiwan (alongside his ministerial successor, Liao Cheng-hao) and, according to one poll, 76.5% of respondents saw him "playing a major political role within the next two years".

Mayor of Taipei (1998–2006)

Election

The 1997 Taiwanese local elections saw the Kuomintang lose a majority of their counties and cities to the Democratic Progressive Party, largely due to the efforts of Chen Shui-bian, Taipei's incumbent mayor, to travel extensively from each county and city for campaigns. Faced with a political crisis, the KMT nominated the popular Ma as its 1998 candidate for the Taipei mayoralty against Chen. Ma ran on a platform of making Taipei a corruption-free "world class city" and used an image of a jogger—a representation of his penchant for jogging and charity work—as the symbol of his campaign. In addition, he received the support of incumbent president Lee Teng-hui, who campaigned for Ma and promoted him as a "new Taiwanese" who "loves Taiwan and promotes its interests regardless of his or her place of birth". Ma's campaign slogan was "'Taiwan First, Taipei First".

Despite Chen's high public approval rating, Ma won the 1998 Taipei mayoral election with 51.13 percent of the vote, compared to Chen's 45.91 percent share, aided with an undivided KMT conservative voting bloc (as it had been divided with the New Party in the 1994 Taiwanese local elections). Voter turnout was high, averaging 80 percent. The victory was a setback for both the DPP and for Chen's potential candidacy in the 2000 presidential election. The election saw the Hong Kong-born Ma overcome a popular bias against "mainlanders" (''waishengren''), a group sometimes resented by native Taiwanese. Ma's victory over Chen was also received positively by U.S. and Chinese officials, and the KMT won a legislative majority with 123 out of 225 seats.

Mayoralty

In the 2000 presidential election, Ma remained loyal to the KMT and supported its candidate, Lien Chan, over James Soong, who had bolted from the party and was running as an independent. The competition between Lien and Soong split the Pan-Blue vote and allowed his former rival Chen to win the presidential election with less than 50% of the popular vote. The election result, combined with other factors, incited a great deal of anger against Ma when he tried to dissuade discontented Lien and Soong supporters from protesting by appealing to them in his dual capacities as Taipei City mayor and a high-ranking KMT member.

Ma was able to repair the political damage and, in December 2002, became the leading figure in the KMT by easily winning reelection as mayor of Taipei with the support of 64% of Taipei voters while DPP challenger Lee Ying-yuan received 36%. His solid victory, especially in light of opposition from both President Chen and former President and KMT chairman Lee Teng-hui, led many to speculate about his chances as the KMT candidate for the 2004 presidential election, although nothing came of it.

Ma again dissuaded angry Pan-Blue supporters from protesting, following the very close re-election victory of President Chen in 2004 after the 3–19 shooting incident. At one point, he sent riot police to control the demonstrations of Pan-Blue supporters. Ma chose not to join in calls to challenge or contest the election. Ma also avoided associating himself with claims that the assassination was staged. Ma's prestige increased after the election, as he is widely seen as the successor of Lien Chan.

During his time as Taipei's mayor, Ma had many conflicts with the central government over matters such as health insurance rates and control of the water supply during the drought. His initiatives in administering the city of Taipei include changing the transliterations of street names and the line and stations of the Taipei Metro to Hanyu Pinyin, as opposed to Tongyong Pinyin. Ma has expressed mild support for Chinese unification and opposition to the Taiwan independence movement. He opposed the 2004 Taiwanese cross-Strait relations referendum, which had been widely criticized by the U.S. and PRC. Nevertheless, his opposition to the Anti-Secession Law of the People's Republic of China, while other leaders of his party remained silent on the issue, led to him being banned from visiting Hong Kong to make a public speaking tour in 2005. He also criticized the PRC for the Tiananmen crackdown.

First KMT chairmanship

In 2005, Ma and Wang Jin-pyng were candidates in the first competitive election for KMT chairmanship. On 5 April 2005, in an exclusive interview with CTV talk show host Sisy Chen, Ma said he wished to lead the opposition Kuomintang with Wang, if he were elected its chairman, as their support bases are complementary.

On 16 July 2005, Ma defeated Wang by a 72% to 28% margin, a margin larger than anticipated by either camp or news sources, despite Wang receiving a last-minute endorsement by the People First Party (PFP) chairman James Soong, who had retained significant following within the KMT. Some, particularly the supporters of Wang Jin-pyng, accuse Ma of unfairly implying that Wang is involved in "black gold" and criticized Ma's aides for being rude to Wang during the campaign. After the election, Ma had stated repeatedly that he wishes Wang to remain as first-ranked deputy chairman. Wang, however, has so far rebuffed the gesture, instead stating that he wishes to serve as a "permanent volunteer." Wang has, indeed, accepted a party post that is incompatible with vice chairmanship, effectively ending the possibility that he would be vice chairman, although after meeting with Wang, Ma had stated that he would "leave the position open" for Wang. Ma has also repeatedly stated that he had no plans to resign from the Taipei mayorship, even after he formally took over the chairmanship from incumbent Lien Chan during the 17th Party Congress of the KMT in August 2005.

Led by Ma Ying-jeou, the Kuomintang made a resounding win in the three-in-one election held on 3 December 2005. The KMT gained six more seats in the mayoral/magistratical race, from eight seats in the last election, to a total of fourteen seats. Before the election, Ma swore that he would quit the chairmanship if his party could not win over half of the seats, which was a first for a KMT chairman. It was a decisive win for Ma Ying-jeou as well, since he took over the party chairmanship only 110 days before. In the election, the KMT won back the counties of Taipei and Yilan, and the city of Chiayi, which had been the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)'s strongholds for over twenty years. It was the first time in many years that the KMT regained popularity as far south as Zhuoshui River.

Mayoral controversies

While often nicknamed as the "Teflon pot" for his extreme preservation of his personal image, Ma was nonetheless caught in some political controversies. A series of incidents during Ma's tenure as the mayor of Taipei impaired his reputation. Typhoon Nari caused numerous casualties and widespread flooding. Persistent flooding further led to public questioning of his leadership and caused Ma's approval rating to slide. Ma was strongly criticized by the DPP for not allowing the ROC national flag to be flown along with a PRC flag during the Asian Women's Football Championship held in Taipei. Ma responded that he was merely following Olympic protocol, which only officially recognizes the Chinese Taipei Olympic flag and forbids ROC national flags from being shown in an Olympic Game Stadium.

Ma faced political backlash following the shutdown of Hoping Hospital during the SARS outbreak and was criticized for failing to promptly mobilize the Taipei city government, as well as for retaining Chiu Shu-ti, the public health director, who had previously been criticized for her lack of concern during the outbreak. Ma was also implicated in a scandal of Taipei Bank stock releases in 2003. However, the case was dismissed after an investigation by the Taipei prosecutor. In 2004, a fire suppression system at an MRT power plant released toxic gas, and several MRT passengers were injured in an escalator accident on New Year's Eve. Another case involving a severely abused girl who was denied treatment at multiple hospitals in Taipei also drew public attention.

One of Ma's most satisfactory mayoral constructions was the Maokong Gondola. However, the frequent breakdown of the gondola earned the residents' distrust of the new transportation system. One poll showed only 14% of the Taipei City residents were satisfied with it, and it even led to protests. The Taiwan Environmental Information Center stated that the choice to use a gondola lift intended for temperate zones in a tropical zone showed the failure of the Taipei City government led by Ma.Lee Yu-chi
貓纜通車首日故障 爆出市府公共政策問題
'', Taiwan Environmental Information Center, 5 July 2007''

Corruption allegations and presidential campaign (2006–2008)

On 14 November 2006, Ma was questioned by prosecutors over his alleged misuse of a special expenses account as Taipei mayor. This occurred after Chen Shui-Bian was being investigated for corruption, and many KMT supporters believed that this prosecution was politically motivated.

At the same time, rumors surfaced that former party chairman Lien Chan would run in the presidential election of 2008. The incident may have affected the clean image of Ma and his political future. The next day, Ma admitted one of his aides forged receipts to claim Ma's expenses as Taipei mayor, and apologized for the latest political scandal. However, Ma argued that he, like most other government officials, regarded the special expense account as supplemental salary for personal expenses undertaken in the course of official duties and that his use of this account was legal.

On 13 February 2007, Ma was indicted by the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office on charges of allegedly embezzling approximately NT$11 million (US$339,000), regarding the issue of "special expenses" while he was mayor of Taipei. The prosecutor's office said that Ma had allegedly used government funds for personal use, such as paying for one of his daughter's living expenses while studying abroad and paying for his household utilities. Before that, Ma had admitted personal usage and claims that the special funds were simply a part of his salary but had used all funds for public use or public benefit (charity donations).

Shortly after the indictment, he submitted his resignation as chairman of the Kuomintang in accordance with party rules which prohibit an indicted person from serving as KMT chairman The resignation was initially rejected but then accepted by the party's Central Standing Committee before amending a clause that barred members from running for office if charged with a crime. Shortly after the resignation, however, Ma announced his intention to run in the 2008 presidential election.

In May 2007, Ma was nominated as the KMT candidate in the 2008 presidential election. He visited India and Singapore in June 2007 to increase bilateral exchanges as well as to gain legitimacy and experience for his 2008 presidential bid. Ma's vice-presidential running mate was announced as former Premier Vincent Siew, who had also served as Lien Chan's running mate in the 2000 presidential election.

On 14 August 2007, the Taipei District Court found Ma not guilty of corruption. Ma's defense is that he viewed "Special Expenses" as essentially "Special Allowance", originally designed to compensate for mayor's "social spending" without actually raising salary. On 28 December 2007, the Taiwan High Court found Ma again not guilty of graft charges.

During a campaigning event in an aboriginal community, Ma made a controversial remark. Responding to a question from an aboriginal woman, Ma said, "If you come into the city, you are a Taipei citizen... Aborigines should adjust their mentality – if you come into the city you have to play by its rules." This statement was thought to be extremely inappropriate. However, the KMT still achieved a landslide victory in the 2008 Taiwanese legislative election, winning 81 out of 113 seats.

Democratic Progressive Party candidate Frank Hsieh questioned Ma for his possession of a US green card. Ma denied having one and publicly expressed that no members of his family had one. However, the fact that Ma and his wife had applied for green cards and that his sisters and his elder daughter Lesley Weichung Ma are United States citizens caused controversy, as the DPP continued to question Ma's loyalty to the country."DPP continues attack on Ma Ying-jeou"
'', Taipei Times, 31 January 2008'' In response to the DPP attack on the US citizenship of his sisters and daughter, Ma commented that having a US passport or green card did not necessarily mean that someone was not loyal to Taiwan.

A week before the presidential election, incumbent President Chen Shui-bian vowed to quit if Ma could provide legal documents of the invalidation of his green card. Frank Hsieh also said that he was willing to withdraw from the race if Ma could prove, using official documents, that his green card was invalidated twenty years ago. Ma responded the next day to the president that he should work on improving Taiwan's economy instead of caring about the election so much; earlier, Ma also provided copies of US non-immigrant visas issued to him during the 1980s and 1990s, claiming the card was invalid, as such visas are not issued to green card holders.

Ma Ying-jeou ultimately won the presidential election on 22 March 2008, with 58% of the vote. On 24 April 2008, the Supreme Court cleared Ma of corruption charges, delivering a final ruling in this matter before his inauguration on 20 May 2008. The island's highest court said Ma had neither collected illegal income nor tried to break the law. Ma's secretary, however, was found guilty and faced a year in prison for his own failures in administrative duties.

Presidency (2008–2016)

Ma officially won on 22 March 2008 with 58% of the vote, ending eight years of DPP rule and becoming officially recognized as the sixth president of the Republic of China. He won with 7,659,014 votes against Hsieh's 5,444,949 votes. The overwhelming victory in the presidential election gave him political mandate to make changes in Taiwan. Ma took office on 20 May 2008. He was named among the 2008 ''Time'' 100 in its "Leaders & Revolutionaries" section, described as "one of those rare politicians who have an opportunity to shape the destiny not only of their own nation but also of an entire region".

Ma proposed a policy of "Flexible Diplomacy" in foreign affairs. Instead of confronting the PRC in every international encounter, Ma aimed to build a certain degree of mutual trust across the Taiwan Strait, which could later be extended to the international stage. In August 2008, Ma undertook his first foreign trip as president, focusing on strengthening relations with Taiwan's Latin American allies. In 2009, Taiwan received an invitation from the World Health Organization (WHO) to attend the annual World Health Assembly (WHA) meeting as an observer under the name "Chinese Taipei."

Ma Ying-jeou registered as the sole candidate for the election of the KMT chairman and won the election with 93.87% of the vote in July 2009. Just a few days later, Typhoon Morakot, the worst typhoon to strike Taiwan in fifty years, hit Taiwan on 8 August 2009. In the storm's aftermath, President Ma was criticized for his handling of the disaster by both sides of Taiwan's political spectrum. Many news outlets likened Typhoon Morakot to being Ma's "Hurricane Katrina." Multiple opinion polls in Taiwan showed a sharp double-digit drop in Ma's approval rating, with figures falling to between 16% and 29%.

Following pressure from the opposition, Ma took steps to publicly apologize for his government's failure to respond swiftly with rescue and recovery efforts. Ma canceled the 2009 National Day celebrations and his state visit to the Solomon Islands for the Third Taiwan-South Pacific summit. Premier Liu Chao-shiuan, Defense Minister Chen Chao-min, and Vice Foreign Minister Andrew Hsia all tendered their resignations. Wu Den-yih was appointed as the new premier, and the cabinet underwent a reshuffle.

Ma inaugurated as the chairman of the KMT on 17 October 2009, and under his leadership, the party maintained its majority in local elections held between 2009 and 2010. Eligible for a second term, Ma ran for re-election as president. After incumbent Vice President Vincent Siew announced his retirement and decision not to seek a second term, Premier Wu Den-yih was chosen to replace Siew on the KMT's 2012 ticket. Ma was re-elected president with 51.6% of the vote, defeating Democratic Progressive Party chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen. The ruling party also retained its majority in the legislative elections held on the same day.

In September 2013, President Ma accused Speaker Wang Jin-pyng of influence peddling, resulting in a power struggle. Following the KMT's unprecedented loss in the 2014 Taiwanese local elections, 2014 local elections, Ma resigned as KMT chairman. The KMT lost its majority in the Legislative Yuan during the final period of Ma's presidency, and Ma eventually handed over power to opposition leader Tsai Ing-wen in 2016.

Cross-strait relations

After his success in the presidential election, Ma Ying-jeou said he had no immediate plans to visit mainland China and would work to fulfill his campaign pledge to improve relations with mainland China. Ma, in his inaugural address, laid out his promise in dealing with cross-strait relations that there would be "no reunification, no independence, and no use of force" during his tenure as president. Based on the 1992 Consensus, cross-strait high-level talks, semi-official cross-strait talks between the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and its Chinese counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), resumed in June 2008. Ma launched direct weekend cross-strait charter flights, opened Taiwan to mainland Chinese tourists, eased restrictions on Taiwanese investment in mainland China and approved measures allowing mainland Chinese investors to buy Taiwan stocks. The ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine noted that in less than three months, "relations between Taiwan and China have arguably seen the most rapid advancement in the six-decade standoff between the two governments."

After the second Chen–Chiang summit, Taiwan and the Chinese mainland resumed direct sea, air, and mail links on 15 December 2008, ending an almost six-decade-long ban between the two sides on such trips. As many as 108 flights per week as well as 60 cargo flights per month were scheduled, evenly divided between Taiwanese and mainland Chinese airlines. Shipping companies, due to shorter voyages and time savings, are able to save up to US$120 million (TWD $4 billion) each year. The two sides also agreed that neither the ROC nor the PRC flag will be displayed when a ship enters port. In July 2009, Ma rejected the proposal to open the airspace of the Taiwan Strait to accommodate higher passenger traffic, citing that the Taiwan Strait airspace is important to Taiwanese security.

A free trade agreement with China was signed in 2010 called the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), which was accompanied by a ECFA Debate, debate and protests. Ma attempted to pass the Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement in his second term, building on the ECFA. This sparked the Sunflower Student Movement, initiated by a coalition of students and civic groups in the Legislative Yuan and later also the Executive Yuan.

On 7 November 2015, Ma First Ma–Xi meeting, met and shook hands with the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping in Singapore within their capacity as Leader of Taiwan and Paramount leader, Leader of Mainland China respectively. The meeting marked the first ever meeting between leaders of both sides since the end of Chinese Civil War in 1949. Both leaders addressed each other using the honorific ''Sensei, xiānshēng'' (Chinese: , "Mister").

Economic issues

One of Ma's promises as presidential candidate was called the "633 Plan", which promised Economic growth, economic growth rate of 6%, unemployment rate of less than 3%, and per capita income of more than United States dollar, US$30,000. However, the Great Recession around the world caused about 2,000 companies in Taiwan to go bankrupt in the six months following Ma's inauguration, according to a governmental commercial office in Taipei. At the time, the high unemployment rate (~4.06% in July) and consumer price index three months after Ma's inauguration were unprecedented, having not been seen in 28 years. The Taiwan Stock Exchange also fell to two-year lows in September 2008. The Financial Times describes Taiwan's economic downturn as results from "downward pressure driven by global factors". Analysts also point out that, "during its first 100 days in office, the government has made a series of bold steps to deregulate economic cross-strait ties. But as these policies coincided with the global downturn and foreign investors had already bought Taiwan stocks heavily before the election, betting on the reforms, the island's market has seen a sell-off worse than the regional average."

On 11 September 2008, Ma's cabinet unveiled a $5.6-billion USD ($180-billion TWD) economic stimulus package. Among the items of the package were infrastructure projects, economic incentives to small businesses, and other tax cuts. Stock transaction taxes were also halved for the next six months. Taiwan's government reported that the economy shrank by 1% in the third quarter and further contracted 8.36% in the last quarter of 2008. Although growth resumed in the fourth quarter of 2009, the economy still shrank by 1.87% for the year. In 2010, Taiwan's economy rebounded strongly, expanding by 10%.

Post-presidency

On 1 June 2016, it was announced that Ma planned to visit Hong Kong on 15 June to attend the 2016 Award for Editorial Excellence dinner at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and would deliver a speech on cross-strait relations and East Asia. The Tsai Ing-wen administration blocked Ma from traveling to Hong Kong, and he gave prepared remarks via teleconference instead.

In August 2016, Soochow University confirmed that Ma had rejoined the faculty as a lecturer. On 26 September 2016, Ma gave his first lecture which was about the history of Taiwan. Yet, as a chair professor of law, Ma was protested by students at Soochow University to ask for his resignation since he has repeatedly issued controversial legal opinions.

In November 2016, Ma attended the World Chinese Economic Summit in Malacca, Malaysia, where he also served as one of the speakers. It was his first overseas visit since leaving office. Since 2016, Ma has made multiple visits to the United States, during which he delivered speeches at academic institutions and policy forums.

In 2023, Ma became the first ROC leader to visit mainland China since the civil war of 1949, with a trip slated for 27 March to 7 April, pledging peace between the two countries. The trip comes amidst rising tension between mainland China and Taiwan. He served as a witness during the negotiations between the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) to form a joint presidential ticket for the 2024 Taiwanese presidential election, 2024 election; however, the talks ultimately collapsed without an agreement. Ma made his second visit to China in 2024, which included a Second Ma–Xi meeting, meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Political positions

View on Chinese unification

In a December 2005 ''Newsweek, Newsweek International'' interview, when asked about unification, Ma stated that "for our party, the eventual goal is reunification, but we don't have a timetable."

In February 2006, Ma published an op-ed in ''The Wall Street Journal'' titled ''Taiwan's 'Pragmatic Path. In the article, Ma stated that neither unification nor independence was likely for Taiwan in the foreseeable future and that the status quo should be maintained. He emphasized that the island's future should be determined by its people, rather than the government. During the same month, while visiting Europe, the KMT ran an advertisement in the ''Liberty Times'' with the same title, asserting that Taiwan's future could take many possible directions—be it unification, independence, or maintaining the status quo—and that such decisions must be made by the people. The advertisement, which stated that independence is an option for the people of Taiwan, sparked criticism within the party and raised concerns in the PRC. Wang Jin-pyng felt gratified for the policy shift, since Wang himself made a similar statement during the 2004 election, but James Soong said he was "shocked" and Lien Chan said he was never consulted. Ma clarified later that the KMT policy of retaining the status quo has not changed and has reiterated this position several times; further, he has also reiterated his party's support of the one-China policy.

Ma supported autonomy for Tibet. On 17 March 2008, Ma threatened to boycott the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing Olympics if elected, should the 2008 Tibetan unrest, Tibetan unrest spiral out of control. After he was elected president, he refused to let the 14th Dalai Lama, Dalai Lama visit Taiwan, citing the timing as inappropriate. He later approved a visit by the Dalai Lama to lead prayers for Typhoon Morakot victims in August 2009.

In April 2009, President Ma became the first ROC president to pay homage in person to the Yellow Emperor who is believed to have founded China as a nation more than 5,000 years ago. Accompanied by all his government leaders, the president sang the ROC's national anthem as the starter. Ma's spokesman said the president wanted to pay his respects to the Yellow Emperor on Qingming Festival, National Tomb-Sweeping Day in person to stress the importance of the Chinese ancestor-worshipping tradition. However, others saw the precedent-making ceremonies at the National Revolutionary Martyrs' Shrine, Martyrs' Shrine as meant to be a show by President Ma of his unprofessed commitment to maintain a close relationship between Taiwan and mainland China. During his time at the tomb of the Yellow Emperor, Ma said that most Taiwanese people have a strong belief in Chinese culture and national identity.

Cross-strait relations

Ma Ying-jeou has emphasized the "1992 Consensus" as the existing basis for constructive dialogue and exchange between mainland China and Taiwan. On 2 September 2008, Ma declared that the relations between Taiwan and mainland China were a "Mutual non-recognition of sovereignty and mutual non-denial of authority to govern, special relationship not between two nations", but one that can be handled invoking the 1992 Consensus between the two sides. While the governing authorities on mainland China and Taiwan cannot recognise each other as a legitimate government due to legal and constitutional reasons, Ma seeks that they would refrain from denying the other side being the ''de facto'' governing authority of one area of the state.

In 2006, Ma Ying-jeou proposed the "Five Noes" to maintain the status quo, which largely reiterated the content of Chen Shui-bian's "Four Noes and One Without." During a visit to the United States in March 2006, Ma further articulated a proactive strategy for cross-strait relations, termed the "Five Do's." These initiatives included: resuming cross-strait dialogue based on the 1992 Consensus; signing a peace agreement and establishing a mechanism for mutual military trust; creating a joint cross-strait market; enhancing Taiwan's participation in the international community; and strengthening cultural and educational exchanges.

Ma consistently expressed concern over the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre and supported democratization in China. However, prior to the 20th anniversary, he postponed and eventually canceled a scheduled meeting with Wang Dan (dissident), Wang Dan, a former student leader of the 1989 protests. Ma also received criticism from the opposition Democratic Progressive Party for allegedly praising the PRC on human rights during the anniversary commemorations.

Ma voiced support for the acceptance of simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese for written text and the continued use of traditional Chinese characters, traditional Chinese for printed text. Ma had to clarify his remarks regarding simplified characters at a 15-minute speech before the sixth International Conference on Internet Chinese Education on 19 June 2009. Ma reiterated his policy of urging the Chinese to learn the traditional system; his previous call was for the ability of Taiwan's population to recognize simplified characters and not for simplified characters to supplant the traditional system in Taiwan. In a 2004 speech hosted by Microsoft Taiwan, he had proposed for traditional characters (; literally: complicated characters) to be instead called 'orthodox characters' () (then the translation 'traditional Chinese characters' would be more appropriate as well). Ma advocated the use of pinyin, Hanyu Pinyin, developed in the PRC, and made it the official romanization system in Taiwan in 2009.

East China Sea and South China Sea

Ma Ying-jeou supports the Republic of China's sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands and opposes their inclusion under the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan, U.S.-Japan Security Treaty. In 2012, he proposed the "East China Sea Peace Initiative," urging all parties to exercise restraint, resolve disputes peacefully, and jointly develop resources in the region. In 2014, Ma received the Eisenhower Medallion from People to People International for his efforts in the initiative.

In 2015, Ma introduced the "South China Sea Peace Initiative," advocating for the peaceful resolution of disputes and the joint development of resources in the South China Sea. The following year, he visited Taiping Island to reaffirm the ROC's sovereignty over the territory and its status as an island.

Personal life

Ma married Christine Chow Ma, Christine Mei-ching Chow, a classmate of his sister at New York University, in 1977. The couple has two daughters: Lesley and Yuan-chung. Lesley (Ma Wei-chung, Chinese: ) was born in 1981 in New York City while Ma was attending Harvard. She completed her undergraduate studies in life sciences at Harvard University and then her graduate studies at New York University. Ma's youngest daughter, Ma Yuan-chung, was born in Taiwan and completed her master's degree at the London School of Economics and earned a doctorate from Nanyang Technological University. Ma and his wife sponsor children of Economy of El Salvador, low-income families in El Salvador through World Vision International. On an official trip to Central America in June 2009, Mrs. Ma was able to meet with one of her sponsored children, an 11-year-old boy in San Salvador. Ma is the uncle of Gene Yu, an American, former United States Army Special Forces captain and the author of the ''Yellow Green Beret: Stories of an Asian-American Stumbling Around U.S. Army Special Forces'' series of books. Yu was instrumental in negotiating, locating and working to free Taiwanese citizen Chang An-wei from Abu Sayyaf militants with Filipino special forces and private security contractors in 2013. Ma speaks Taiwanese Hokkien, Xiang Chinese, Hunanese (his ancestral native dialect), Taiwanese Mandarin, Mandarin (national language) as well as English language, English fluently.

Honours

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** Order of Belize
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** Grand Cross of the , formerly National Order of Burkina Faso (2012)
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** Grand Cross with Gold Breast Star of the Order of Merit of Duarte, Sánchez and Mella (2015)
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** Grand Cross with Gold Star of the Order of José Matías Delgado, National Order of Doctor José Matías Delgado (2014)
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** Collar of the Royal Order of the Crown (2012)
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** Honorary Grand Commander of the Order of the Republic (Gambia), Order of the Republic of The Gambia (2012)
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** Grand Collar of the Order of the Quetzal
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** Grand Cross of the National Order of Honour and Merit (2014)
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**Traditional Paramount Leader Medal (2013)
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** Collar of the Order of St Christopher and Nevis (2011)
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** Collar Order pro merito Melitensi, ''pro Merito Melitensi'' (2015)

See also

*Politics of the Republic of China

Notes

References

Additional sources

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External links

Ma Ying-jeou Official Website (Traditional Chinese)Corpus of Political Speeches
Free access to political speeches by Ma Ying-jeou and other Chinese politicians, developed by Hong Kong Baptist University Library
Dissertation
available at University of Maryland School of Law
SignatureSpeech
at Harvard Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ma, Ying-Jeou
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