Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday referred to Taiwan by its official name, the Republic of China (ROC), during an ancestor worship ritual in China.
Speaking at the burial site of his ancestors in Xiangtan, Hunan Province, Ma said he was elected twice as “president of the ROC,” in the years 92 and 101 on the ROC calendar, referring to 2008 and 2012.
As president, Ma said, he governed with integrity, diligence and care for the people, as he was guided by his family’s philosophy that the main purpose of education is to do good deeds for others.
Photo: CNA
His presidency was the most peaceful and prosperous period in the 70 years of separate governance in Taiwan and China, he said.
His administration achieved it through a policy of maintaining peace with China, building closer ties with the US and enhancing friendship with Japan, Ma said, as he, his sisters and other family members burned incense and made offerings at their ancestors’ grave site.
“This is the first time in my life that I’ve come to the mainland to worship my ancestors and visit my relatives,” Ma said. “It is very emotional.”
The former president’s parents, Ma Ho-ling (馬鶴凌) and Chin Hou-hsiu (秦厚修), moved to Taiwan via Hong Kong after the Chinese Civil War of 1945-1949.
His historic 12-day trip to China, which started on Monday, marks the first of a former Taiwanese president since the ROC government retreated to Taiwan.
During his trip, Ma has used the term ROC on several occasions, but all instances have been edited out of China Central Television coverage of his visit.
At an event in Nanjing on Tuesday, Ma dated a calligraphy scroll “112,” referring to the 112th year since the founding of the ROC.
However, Ma did not write the characters for minguo (republican, 民國) in front of the date to refer to the ROC calendar, as is common in Taiwan.
However, he used the term several times in remarks.
Ma’s trip, and his choice of words, have been criticized by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and pro-independence groups in Taiwan.
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