Taiwanese President Ma Ying Jeou has sought closer ties with the People’s Republic despite students’ protests.

President Ma believes his policy to strengthen ties with Beijing is the right thing for Taiwan. During his six years, Taiwan has already inked 21 agreements with the mainland. This included ending the 60-year ban on direct flights between Taiwan and China, leading to a growing number of exchange students and tourists between the two nations.

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In an interview with the GlobalPost, Ma said the current events between the two countries have been meeting the expectations of the majority of Taiwan people.

However, the growing ties between China and Taiwan have kindled fear that the latter has become too dependent on Beijing. This has also provoked fear that Taiwan has become vulnerable to pressure that can be imposed by the People’s Republic.

China still sees Taiwan as a renegade province that must be united with mainland. This year, students have protested against the president’s policy of strengthening ties with Beijing. The protesters said the policies have been passed without consulting the public. This has also caused Ma’s rating to fall into single digits.

Meanwhile, Ma defended the policies imposed by his administration and talked about his insights regarding independence. He also talked about the role of the United States in the region and cross-strait ties.

During an interview at the presidential palace in Taipei, Ma evaded questions carefully regarding China’s Xi Jinping. In September, Xi revealed a shocking statement when he insisted that Taiwan should unify with the mainland through the "one country, two systems" policy, currently applied in Hong Kong.

Ma said there is enough room to further improve the relations between the two countries through a meticulous and orderly approach, after being asked about the Taiwan-China ties. He also said the process can be likened to climbing a mountain based on his cross-strait relations experience in the last 20 years.

TagsTaiwan, President Ma Ying-jeou, Taipei, GlobalPost, America