Taiwan's Presidential Office said Tuesday night that Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou will travel to Singapore this weekend to meet his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in what will be the first meeting of leaders from the two sides of the Taiwan Strait since they split amid a civil war in 1949.

In a statement, the Presidential Office said that Ma will travel to Singapore on Saturday to meet Xi and exchange opinions on cross-strait issues.

"The purpose of President Ma's planned trip is to consolidate peace across the Taiwan Strait and maintain the status quo," it said. "They will not sign any agreement or issue any joint statement."