Taiwan's first female President promises to cut dependence on China/ENG

2016. május 20./Phayul.com/TibetPress

eredeti cikk

By Tenzin Monlam

DHARAMSHALA, May 20: The new Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen indicated that her government would be reducing ties with China and ‘promote democracy and freedom in a speech’ during her swearing ceremony in Taipei today.

Tsai, in her inaugural speech as the new leader of Taiwan declined to concur with the idea of Taiwan and Mainland China as a part of ‘one China’ as per the controversial ‘1992 consensus’, an agreement between Taipei and Beijing that there is ‘one China’.

“Once again, the people of Taiwan have shown the world through our actions that we, as a free and democratic people, are committed to the defense of our freedom and democracy as a way of life,” she said while urging her people to pledge that ‘today, tomorrow, and every day to come, we shall all vow to be a Taiwanese who safeguards democracy, freedom, and this country’.

Calling it the one of the first major restructure of the transition, she said that the country’s economy must be restructured by ‘bidding farewell to the single market phenomenon’.

“We will walk away from the time when our economy is overly reliant on one single country,” she said adding that her government would focus on increasing relationship with the Southeast Asian countries and India as well.

Ever since her party’s (Democratic Progressive Party) landslide victory in January Beijing has been indifferent with her and her party’s ideology, which challenges China’s proclamation over the island nation.

Under the new government, the 23 million Taiwanese hope see improvement in the economy and the youth waiting for improvement in their life. In her speech, she said that change wouldn’t happen overnight and urged them to give the new government some time for the reforms, while promising full commitment.