Taiwan’s first female president has been sworn in after an emphatic victory in January elections.
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There was no immediate reaction to Ms Tsai’s speech from China, which has never renounced force to take back an island it regards as a renegade province.
Beijing-sceptic Tsai swept in with a campaign to restore Taiwanese pride, a message that resonated with a public exhausted of living in China’s shadow.
Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen sings national song with children during the inauguration ceremonies in Taipei, Taiwan, Friday, May 20, 2016.
“Since she won’t say exactly what Beijing wants to hear about the 1992 consensus, a testy admonition from the Chinese leadership is sure to follow”, said Professor John Ciorciari, a University of MI professor who follows Taiwan politics.
“Cross-strait relations have become an integral part of building regional peace and collective security”, she told an audience of 20,000 who regularly cheered and applauded.
In her inauguration speech, she outlined a policy that would focus on trade with south and southeast Asia, gradually diluting Taiwan’s reliance on China’s economy – especially as the giant’s economic engine slows. She also spoke pointedly about the need to protect the country’s democracy, and strengthen relationships with other country’s besides China.
“We, as a free and democratic people, are committed to the defence of our freedom and democracy as a way of life…My dear fellow Taiwanese, we did it”, she said.
The number of foreign dignitaries scheduled to attend the presidential inauguration ceremony marks a record high, highlighting the strong relations between Taiwan and its partners across the world, the MOFA said May 19.
In an editorial, the Global Times – a newspaper owned by the People’s Daily group that often takes a nationalistic tone – said Tsai’s assumption of power heralded “a new era for a cross-Straits region that is characterised by uncertainty”.
Jubilant crowds waved flags and danced in celebration.
“Tsai Ing-wen is the first woman president in Taiwan’s history so I want to witness this sacred moment”, said teacher Chen Su-mei, 48.
“This is a speech that can be accepted by the worldwide community and endured by the mainland”, Li said, adding that Beijing will be watching what Tsai does in coming days as she forms her administration. “I believe Dr. Tsai understands that and she will not step on the tripwire and cause trouble”.
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While China’s Defense Ministry said its drills were not “aimed at any specific target and relevant persons shouldn’t read too much into it”, experts said the drills were an important signal to Tsai not to defy the “one-China principle”.
