Beijing Welcomes Ex-Taiwan Leader’s Visit to the Mainland

Beijing said Monday that it welcomes former Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou’s visit to the Chinese mainland next week, and offered to provide assistance for the trip.

Ma will lead a group of dozens of Taiwan students to the mainland from March 27 to April 7, during which he will pay respects to his ancestors in Xiangtan, Central China’s Hunan province, said Hsiao Hsu-tsen, executive director of the Ma Ying-Jeou Foundation, at a press conference Monday. Ma will also visit several other cities such as Shanghai and Chongqing, during which the students traveling with him will be able to speak to their peers on the mainland.