TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — On the second day of former Taiwan president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) controversial trip to China, he visited the Sun Yat-sen (孫中山) Mausoleum in Nanjing.

At the mausoleum, Ma gave a speech in which he praised Sun for his “unprecedented, great contribution” of overthrowing the imperial Qing dynasty and establishing Asia’s first democratic republic, the Republic of China (ROC). He said that by doing so, Sun changed China’s fate and paved the way for the country’s prosperity.

He urged Taiwan and China to pursue peace and avoid war as they fight to “reinvigorate China,” calling it “the undeniable responsibility of Chinese across the strait.”

In his speech, Ma also highlighted the fact that “it has been 112 years since (Sun) established the republic,” referring to the ROC calendar. While the calendar is still used by the Taiwan public and government, China claims that it, like the ROC itself, is obsolete.

In addition to paying respect to Sun and giving a speech, Ma also inscribed in calligraphy the words, “Peacefully fight to reinvigorate China” and dated his work year 112 in addition to 2023.

Chinese media coverage of Ma’s visit has been minimal, focusing on his itinerary as well as his urging for peace and unity and praise for Sun as a hero. However, Japanese media speculated that China’s willingness to interact with Kuomintang (KMT) officials, in contrast with its aggressive attitude towards the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), signals its attempt to divide Taiwanese society ahead of the upcoming presidential election.

In Taiwan, though Ma’s trip to China was a highly controversial topic, discussion died down after his arrival in Shanghai on Monday (March 27).