TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The head of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation (馬英九基金會) criticized on Tuesday (Nov. 5) the opposition Kuomintang's (KMT, 國民黨) alleged silence regarding the foundation's invitation to Chinese students to visit Taiwan a day earlier. Director Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) expressed his views in a radio interview earlier that day, saying that the KMT is "not growing apart from former President Ma Ying-jeou, but rather from itself."
Hsiao announced a day earlier that the foundation will host a group of Chinese students for a nine-day, eight-night exchange starting Nov. 27. The itinerary includes interactions with six universities and features notable athletes like Olympic table tennis gold medalist Ma Long (馬龍) and Olympic shooting champion Yang Qian (楊倩).
Emphasizing the initiative's non-political nature, Hsiao said the foundation, as a private entity, aims to promote healthy cross-strait exchanges. He highlighted the involvement of 40 mainland students and expressed hope for meaningful interactions with six universities and one high school in Taiwan. The visit will also include trips to famous sites like Sun Moon Lake (日月潭).
Hsiao acknowledged that the final decision rests with the government, urging approval from the Mainland Affairs Council (陸委會), the Ministry of Education (教育部), and most importantly, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and National Security Council (國安會).
