Our democratic system, national identity and global space must be respected. Tsai warned China that “suppression” would harm cross-strait ties.
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Freshly elected Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen disappeared from China’s most popular social network on Saturday, with censors working swiftly to block any mention of the Beijing-wary politician as she stormed to victory on the island.
A key question for analysts now is to try to figure out how much a 16-year-old K-pop star affected the results. While Tsai’s campaign emphasised innovation and improving trade ties with Southeast Asia, Japan and the U.S., she can not ignore that although the mainland’s growth rate has slowed, it accounts for more than 30 per cent of Taiwanese exports and half of its tourism.
“This particular incident will serve as a constant reminder to me about the importance of our country s strength and unity to those outside our borders”, she said.
The traditionally independence-leaning DPP’s win sees the Nationalist Party hand over the reins of power for the first time in eight years.
Tsai pledged to maintain the “status quo of peace and stability” in relations with China. “I think we should remember this”.
The United States congratulated Tsai on the victory. “All the frictions and disputes from the election process should also stop”, Tsai said in her victory speech.
She stepped down as party chairwoman after the loss, but took up the position again two years later.
Tsai secured 56.12 percent of the vote, according to the Central Election Commission, with Chu on 31.04 percent. She won the largest ever margin in the history of the island’s presidential elections.
Taiwan regards itself officially as the Republic of China on Taiwan, a political entity created after the Kuomintang (KMT) was defeated by the Communist Party of China (CCP) in 1949, which founded the People’s Republic of China.
But recent developments in Hong Kong, including Beijing’s refusal to allow fully democratic elections and the apparent arrest of a bookstore manager by Chinese agents within the city’s jurisdiction have made that prospect less appealing to Taiwanese. Chu is chair of the ruling Nationalist Party, which has pursued a policy of bringing about reconciliation with China.
In her victory speech, Tsai vowed to maintain the status quo with China.
China’s foreign ministry told Xinhua: “There is only one China in the world, the mainland and Taiwan both belong to one China and China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity will not brook being broken up”.
Ms Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which is pro-independence, also won an unprecedented control of the legislature.
China has previously threatened to use military force, if Taiwan formally declares independence. He burnished his legacy to some extent last November, when he met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Singapore.
This issue – the relations between Taipei and Beijing – was the nearly exclusive focus of worldwide attention as well.
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‘We’re not a part of China.
