A delegation led by Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, left for Taiwan from Shanghai on Friday, concluding their visit to the Chinese mainland.

Senior officials from the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee saw the delegation off at the airport.

Ma arrived in Shanghai on March 27. His itinerary on the mainland included Nanjing, Wuhan, Changsha, Chongqing and Shanghai.

During his trip, Ma visited the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing, the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, and the tomb of his grandfather in the county of Xiangtan, Hunan Province, and led a group of Taiwan students to Wuhan University, Hunan University and Fudan University for communication and exchange activities.

Read more:

Ma Ying-jeou's trip to mainland aids cross-Straits relations: official

Ma Ying-jeou calls for cross-Strait peace, revitalizing Chinese nation

At Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei, Ma said he has proven with action that adhering to the 1992 Consensus, seeking common ground while reserving differences, and respecting each other can lead to having a common political foundation with the mainland. 

And by doing so, cross-Straits exchanges and dialogues can be resumed as soon as possible, Ma said, adding that this best serves the interests of the Taiwan residents. 

He said it has been his long-held wish to go to the mainland to honor his family's ancestors. But it was only his first time, as he was about to turn 73, to visit the mainland. 

Ma said he was glad to receive a very enthusiastic response from mainland residents, which left him both surprised and touched. 

He recalled the successful exchanges between Taiwan students he had brought to the mainland and their mainland counterparts, which gave him great confidence for resuming cross-Straits exchanges. 

"Young people are our future," Ma said, adding that the earlier young people across the Taiwan Straits communicate, the better they understand each other and the less likely they are to have conflicts in the future. 

"We invited mainland students to visit Taiwan as well," Ma said. 

Expressing concern over the present cross-Straits situation, Ma said he would continue to work among the people to ensure that Taiwan can have a future featuring true peace and security. 

(With input from Xinhua) 

(Cover: Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, visits a museum in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, April 4, 2023. /Xinhua)