Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou will announce June 10 his intention to run for chairman of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) in upcoming party elections. Such dual positions could pave the way for a meeting between Ma and Chinese president Hu Jintao, who also serves as chairman of the Communist Party of China (CPC). Ma's intent to run for KMT chairman has been rumored for some time, and it is fairly standard for the Taiwanese president to also be chairman of his party. Former President Lee Teng-hui was KMT chairman during his tenure as president, and former President Chen Shui-bian served as chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for much of his two terms as president. Ma made his announcement approximately a week ahead of schedule to counter speculation of rifts within the party over its leadership elections, set for some time around July 26. In theory, by serving as both chairman of the party and as president of the country, Ma can ensure closer coordination and cooperation between the executive and legislative branches, making it easier for him to push his own policy agenda. But Ma's intent might also be to see how far he can take the current rapprochement policy with China. Over the past several years, Beijing has shifted its approach to dealing with Taiwan, offering cooperation and dialogue through the CPC, first with the KMT when it was still in the opposition and later, since Ma's inauguration a year ago, reaching out to entice dialogue with the DPP. In May, current KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung traveled to Beijing for party-to-party meetings with Hu. This was Wu's second official visit to China since Ma took office. Ma may be hoping that, by taking the chairmanship of the KMT, he can create an opening for direct meetings with Hu, albeit officially at the party-chairman level, marking a substantial shift in the level of communications between China and Taiwan. At the same time, Ma's government continues to use its less confrontational relationship with Beijing to gain more international "space", becoming involved in special U.N. entities like the International Maritime Organization following its successful participation in the World Health Assembly. These are moves that will help ease Taiwan out of the constraints imposed by the island's ambiguous international status.