Taiwan‘s president has once again thrown an olive branch to Beijing authorities in his New Year’s talk. Tsai said that Taiwan is willing to engage in meaningful dialogue under the principle of reciprocity as long as Beijing has the will to improve cross-strait relations.
In her New Year’s talk, Tsai said Taiwan’s position has become increasingly important from the perspective of global strategy. The stability of cross-strait relations, she said, “has become not only a subject of concern for both sides of the Taiwan Strait, but also a subject of concern for the stability of the Indo-Pacific region, and has become a global focus.”
Over the past year, Chinese military aircraft and warships have been operating frequently near Taiwan, increasing pressure on the country. Tsai said Beijing’s move “not only impacts cross-strait relations, but also poses a threat to the status quo of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.”
Beijing is angered by Washington’s increased support for Taiwan, which it sees as a precursor to Taiwan’s declaration of formal independence. Beijing’s frequent activities in the Taiwan Strait are seen as a response to the further strengthening of relations between the U.S. and Taiwan.
In response to current cross-strait relations, Tsai again reiterated that Taiwan will not take any chances, but will stick to its principles.
In her New Year’s Eve address, the Taiwanese president said, “As long as the Beijing authorities have the will to resolve confrontations and improve cross-strait relations, we are willing to facilitate meaningful dialogue under the principle of reciprocity and dignity.”
Beijing cut off the formal dialogue mechanism with Taipei after Tsai won the presidential election in 2016, saying Taiwan must recognize it as a part of China, while Tsai refused to make that statement.
In her New Year’s talk, Tsai also said that while the epidemic receives effective control, “it is also expected that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait will gradually resume normal and orderly exchanges, increase understanding, reduce misunderstanding and deal with cross-strait affairs.”
The Taiwan president said her consistent principle “is to discuss together, find ways to solve problems pragmatically.”
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