As China’s strongest critic Tsai Ing-wen assumed power in Taiwan on Friday and pledged democracy and close ties with the USA, a wary BEIJING warned her against seeking independence and said the “One-China policy” remained the corner-stone of its relations with other countries.
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The timing, however, suggests that practising helicopter assaults, tank battles and beach battles was the latest attempt to intimidate Tsai Ing-wen, elected president in January and sworn in today.
Tsai is the head of the Democratic Progressive Party, which has in the past advocated for Taiwan to separate from the mainland, a goal that Beijing has firmly and consistently rejected.
Taiwan’s new President Tsai Ing-wen speaks during her inauguration ceremony in Taipei on May 20. Ms. Tsai said that her administration would “work to maintain existing mechanisms for dialogue and communications across the Taiwan Strait”.
However, Tsai made no explicit mention of the concept that Taiwan is a part of China, which Beijing says is crucial to the entire relationship.
The situation across the Strait had been kept free from tension and instability and maintaining this is the shared desire of Chinese on both sides as well as overseas Chinese and the worldwide community, it said.
Chinese officials have indicated they want Ms Tsai to accept the so-called 1992 Consensus that Taiwan and the mainland are part of one China, each side with its own interpretation of what that means.
Taiwan markets reacted calmly to Tsai’s speech. “She’s signaled that she would largely focus on domestic issues”, Anthony Kuhn of NPR reported.
That principal has allowed relations to warm dramatically, particularly in the past eight years under President Ma Ying-jeou.
An ARATS representative at the press conference said that their earnestness in facilitating cross-strait talks will not change, as long as the SEF receives authorization to confirm the “1992 Consensus” as an embodiment of the “one China” principle.
Wearing a white jacket and black trousers, Tsai said she respected the historical fact of the 1992 talks between negotiators from China and Taiwan. Many believe that Beijing’s motive for this move was to remind Taiwan’s incoming president about the “1992 Consensus”, which Tsai had remained vague about during her campaign.
Tsai’s inauguration was festive, with bands, folk artists and cheerleaders from Taiwan and overseas.
Beijing is deeply distrustful of her DPP who promote a “sovereign and independent” Taiwan. Tsai also proposed that Taiwan and China set aside disputes over control over the South China Sea “to enable joint development”.
“The challenges are enormous and I think that she does not underestimate them”, said Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. With declining economic growth and exports, “it is a hard time, and China is not making it any easier, of course”, Glaser said. China staunchly opposes Taiwanese independence.
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Analysts said earlier that her speech could have quick repercussions.
