Former Taiwan president Ma to make historic trip to China

TAIPEI: Taiwan's ex-president Ma Ying-jeou will travel to China next week, his spokesman said Monday, in the first cross-strait visit by a current or former leader of the island in more than 70 years.

Ma will not visit Beijing and has no current plans to meet Chinese government officials, the spokesman added.

China claims self-ruled, democratic Taiwan as part of its territory to be seized one day, by force if necessary. The two split in 1949 after a civil war won by the Communist Party, with the defeated nationalists fleeing to the island.