Ma Ying-jeou

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Lore & Background

Ma Ying-jeou was born in Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, British Hong Kong, on 13 July 1950, the fourth child and only son in a family of five. His family, of waishengren background, moved to Taiwan in October 1951. He was raised Catholic and remains the only Taiwanese president to have been a member of the Catholic Church. After graduating from National Taiwan University in 1972, he served in the Republic of China Marine Corps, attaining the rank of lieutenant, then earned a Master of Laws from New York University in 1976 and a Doctor of Juridical Science from Harvard University in 1981, both in international law. Ma began his political career as a bureau director and English translator for President Chiang Ching-kuo. He held office as chair of the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission, becoming the youngest cabinet member at age 38, and later as head of the Ministry of Justice, where he launched anti-corruption and anti-drug campaigns. In the 1998 Taipei mayoral election, he defeated incumbent Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party. He was elected KMT chairman in 2005 and announced his candidacy for the 2008 presidential election, defeating DPP nominee Frank Hsieh in a landslide majority. As president, Ma initiated a series of cross-strait summits from 2008 to 2015, signed the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement with the PRC in 2010, and was reelected in 2012 after defeating Tsai Ing-wen. His second term saw the September 2013 power struggle and the Sunflower Student Movement protests, which damaged party reputation in the 2014 elections, leading to his resignation as KMT chair. In 2015, he attended the Ma–Xi meeting in Singapore, the first meeting between leaders of the PRC and ROC since the Chinese Civil War. After leaving office in 2016, he became a law professor at Soochow University and has remained active in KMT politics.

Reader's Guide

Ma Ying-jeou's significance lies in his role as the sixth president of the Republic of China and his efforts to improve cross-strait relations with mainland China. His presidency was marked by the signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement with the PRC in 2010, which deepened economic ties, and the historic 2015 Ma–Xi meeting in Singapore, the first direct talks between leaders of the two sides since the Chinese Civil War. However, his second term faced challenges including the September 2013 power struggle and the Sunflower Student Movement protests, which damaged party reputation in the 2014 elections and led to his resignation as KMT chair. Ma's legacy is thus one of both diplomatic breakthroughs and domestic political turbulence, shaping Taiwan's relationship with mainland China and its internal political landscape.

Did You Know?

• Ma Ying-jeou was born in Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, British Hong Kong, on 13 July 1950.
• He served in the Republic of China Marine Corps after graduating from National Taiwan University, attaining the rank of lieutenant.
• Ma earned a Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) from Harvard University in 1981, with a dissertation on legal problems of seabed boundaries and foreign investment in the East China Sea.
• He became the youngest cabinet member at age 38 when appointed chair of the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission.
• The 2015 Ma–Xi meeting in Singapore was the first meeting between leaders of the PRC and ROC since the Chinese Civil War.