TAIPEI: Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has vowed to maintain the status quo of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait amid a high tussle with China, which has stepped up army pressure on the democratically-governed island.
Taiwan would not provoke and will not succumb to Chinese pressure, Tsai said in a speech in the presidential office in Taipei on Saturday, marking the 7th anniversary of her governance. China considers Taiwan as it is own and massive threatens to bring the island under its control if necessary. It has increased military and diplomatic pressure on Taiwan to force the island to accept the sovereignty of China since Tsai took President office in 2016.
China has rebuffed calls for talks from Tsai regarding her being a separatist. President Tsai has repeatedly vowed to defend Taiwan’s freedom and democracy. President Tsai said that “War isn’t an option. Neither side can unilaterally change the status quo with non-peaceful means, and maintaining the status quo of peace and stability is the consensus for both the globe and Taiwan.”
She said, “Although risks surround Taiwan, it is not a risk maker. We’re a responsible risk manager, and Taiwan will stand together with democratic countries and communities worldwide to jointly defuse the risks.”
Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) rich nations agreed they’re seeking a peaceful resolution to issues on Taiwan, the host of the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday.
Tsai said Taiwan officials are discussing with United States President Joe Biden’s administration on sending 500 million dollars worth of advanced weapons aid to Taiwan, also adding that the aid was meant to address delivery delays due to Covid.
She stressed the global significance of Taiwan’s supply to China, which produces most of the world’s advanced semiconductor chips. She vowed to keep Taiwan’s most advanced chip technologies and research and development centres. Taiwan is gearing up for a critical presidential election in mid-January, with China tensions set to top the campaign agenda.
