The reaction in Taiwan and China
President Ma's Kuomintang (KMT) Party is seen as pro-Beijing, which has led to warmer ties between the sides.
However, correspondents say growing fears over China's influence have led to widespread dissatisfaction in Taiwan.
The KMT suffered a crushing defeat in local elections last year, a result that was widely seen as a rejection of Mr Ma's push for closer ties with China.
In the Taiwanese capital there were protests before the talks and one group tried to enter the parliament building.
AFP said there were arrests at Taipei's Songshan airport as Mr Ma left early on Saturday, where opponents of closer ties between Taiwan and China tried to set fire to images of the two leaders.
A small group supporting Mr Ma also turned up at the airport.
State media in China have heralded the meeting, though Taiwan has had a more divided reaction where opposition parties and activists have called for Mr Ma to back out.
"The Xi-Ma meeting has excited Chinese people worldwide... Applause will be heard globally for the victory of peace and rationality," an editorial carried in the Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily.
It also took issue with those opposed to the meeting in Taiwan, saying critics "are displaying jiggery-pokery from a small circle. Such extremism is bound to be stigmatised".
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