Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen sings national song with children during the inauguration ceremonies in Taipei, Taiwan, Friday, May 20, 2016.
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With this, she became the first woman to hold the post in Taiwan. Standing in front of a portrait of the founding father of the Republic of China, R.O.C., Dr. Sun Yat-sen, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen recites the oath of office during the swearing-in ceremon.
Tsai takes over as president after eight years of China-friendly Nationalist leader, Ma Ying-Jeou.
Beijing has responded to the January election of Tsai and her pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party by intensifying pressure on Taiwan with military exercises, diplomatic moves and cross-border deportations and prosecutions.
“What ever political changes Taiwan may go through, the Chinese government will remain unchanged in sticking to the One-China principle and oppose the Taiwan independence or one China or one Taiwan”, Hua said.
Direct flights, more tourists and a deepening of trade links paved the way for an historic meeting a year ago between President Ma and China’s President Xi Jinping on neutral turf in Singapore.
The DPP has traditionally leaned towards independence from China, and its victory has led to a cooling of cross-straits relations.
China maintains that Taiwan must unify with the mainland eventually, by force if necessary.
The Chinese government was quick to react to her speech.
“China’s got a wide range of retaliatory measures waiting for Taiwan”.
Meanwhile, leaders from local industrial groups yesterday expressed neutral views over Tsai’s comments regarding relations with China and the president’s economic reforms.
“Taiwan independence remains the biggest menace to peace across the Taiwan Straits and the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations”, said a statement issued by Beijing.
It is deeply distrustful of the DPP, whose charter includes a clause promoting “a sovereign and independent Republic of Taiwan”. Taiwan inaugurated Tsai Ing-wen as its first female pr.
In her inaugural speech, she said Taiwanese people had shown they were “committed to the defence of our freedom and democracy as a way of life”.
“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.
She made no mention of the “One-China” policy that Beijing insisted she acknowledge and instead addressed Taiwan as a “country” a number of times in her speech, which is likely to raise hackles in Beijing. Also drawing cheers was a pledge to set up a “truth and reconciliation” commission to properly account for Taiwan’s darkest page in its modern history: the bloody crackdown during an uprising of Taiwan’s indigenous population in 1947, a prelude to decades of martial law that was only formally lifted in 1987.
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Tsai underlined that “it is based on such existing realities and political foundations that the stable and peaceful development of the cross-Strait relationship must be continuously promoted”.
