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Former Taiwan president Ma Ying-jeou’s request to visit Hong Kong this week has been rejected by the government in Taipei. Photo: EPA

Taipei rejects former Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou’s request to visit Hong Kong

Government says application comes too soon after leaving presidency, but Ma’s office claims decision damages Taiwan’s democratic image

Taiwan

Taiwanese authorities have ­rejected a request by former ­president Ma Ying-jeou to visit Hong Kong to attend an award presentation dinner of the Society of Publishers in Asia (Sopa).

The island’s Presidential ­Office cited several reasons, including that Ma had only recently left office, that the request was made at very short notice, the “sensitivity” of Hong Kong, and the lack of security ­cooperation with the territory. The office said Ma could always take part in the event via video conference.

Ma had hoped to attend Wednesday’s dinner, where he was to speak on cross-strait and East Asian relations.

At such short notice, it is unlikely that the new government could discover what kind of classified information he’d accessed
Presidential spokesman Alex Huang

But presidential spokesman Alex Huang on Sunday said it was not appropriate for Ma to visit Hong Kong at this time.

“As Ma submitted his request just 13 days after he left office, at such short notice, it is unlikely that the new government could discover what kind of classified information he’d accessed and whether he had returned all those documents and completed clearance procedures,” Huang said. He said there was no precedent of cooperation between Hong Kong and Taiwan’s security bureau, making “risk control difficult”.

According to Taiwan’s Classified National Security Information Protection Act, former government officials with access to classified information are subject to travel restrictions for three years after leaving office.

Ma left office on May 20 after his mainland-friendly Kuomintang lost the presidential race to Tsai Ing-wen, of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party. Ma is the first former president to apply for a visit outside Taiwan since the act was introduced in 2003. If approved, he would have been the first former leader of ­Taiwan to visit Hong Kong since 1949.

Ma’s office expressed regret over the decision. A spokeswoman said it showed “not only disrespect to the former leader, but damages Taiwan’s democratic image in the world”.

KMT vice-chairman Hau Lung-bin said the decision showed “a lack of self-confidence and goodwill” from Tsai.

Lin Chuan-chung, a researcher at Taiwan’s Academia Sinica, said the Hong Kong visit could have been a first step for a political comeback by Ma. “He hopes to take over from [former Taiwan premier] Lien Chan to broker cross-strait relations, as evident by his meeting with President Xi Jinping in Singapore in November,” Lin said.

The ruling was applauded by the pro-independence camp and DPP lawmakers, who said Ma planned to promote the “1992 consensus” and “one China” principle.

Tsai did not acknowledge the 1992 consensus in her inauguration speech, leading Beijing to question her pledge to uphold the cross-strait status quo.

The consensus refers to an understanding reached at a meeting in Hong Kong in 1992 where Beijing and Taipei agreed that there is only “one China” but each side can have its own interpretation of what “China” stands for.

If the destination was the US or Japan, would she [Tsai] reject it?
Yang Lixian, National Society of Taiwan Studies in Beijing

Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, said the consensus should be upheld and Taiwanese independence must be opposed.

Yang Lixian, deputy secretary of the National Society of Taiwan Studies in Beijing, said the decision was aimed at the mainland. “If the destination was the US or Japan, would she [Tsai] reject it? If Tsai really hopes to improve relations with the mainland, she should have dealt with this in a different way,” Yang said.

Sopa said a video link would be arranged for Ma to address the dinner. “We are disappointed that Mr Ma cannot be with us in person,” Sopa editorial committee chairwoman SK Witcher said.

Additional reporting by Zhen Liu

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