The newly re-elected president of Taiwan on Wednesday said it will not accept being a part of China through their “one country, two systems” autonomy plan.
President Tsai Ing-wen campaigned on promises to stand up to China, which sees Taiwan as its territory, but said she is open to continued dialogue.
“Both sides have a duty to find a way to coexist over the long term and prevent the intensification of antagonism and differences,” said in a speech after being sworn in for her second term in office.
“Here, I want to reiterate the words ’peace, parity, democracy, and dialogue’,” Ms. Tsai continued. “We will not accept the Beijing authorities’ use of ’one country, two systems’ to downgrade Taiwan and undermine the cross-strait status quo. We stand fast by this principle.”
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office quickly shot back at her remarks and said that reunification is inevitable and it will continue to reject Taiwan’s independence, Reuters reported.
“Reunification is a historical inevitability of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” it said. “We have the firm will, full confidence, and sufficient ability to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Ms. Tsai said that she remains committed to engage in dialogue with China and “make more concrete contributions to regional security.”
Taiwan in recent days has become a sore subject between the U.S. and China after disputes over diplomatic privileges and its exclusion from the World Health Organization’s virtual assembly this week.
The U.S. does not officially recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation, and as a result, Taiwan is neither a full member of the United Nations, nor the WHO.
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
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