TAIPEI, Taiwan: In her New Year address, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen expressed hopes for “long-term peaceful coexistence” between Taipei and Beijing, emphasizing that the future relationship should be determined through Taiwan’s democratic procedures.
As Taiwan approaches a crucial election in less than two weeks, the outcomes are closely monitored globally, particularly by China and the United States.
Beijing considers Taiwan as part of its territory and has intensified pressure on the self-ruled island, incorporating military, diplomatic, and economic measures. High-level communications between Beijing and Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government were halted in 2016, and tensions have escalated since then.
President Tsai, in her last New Year speech before leaving office in May, expressed the desire to restart communications with Beijing. She urged for the resumption of “healthy and sustainable exchanges” between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, seeking a path of “peaceful coexistence under peace, parity, democracy, and dialogue.”
However, Tsai remained firm on Taiwan’s commitment to defending its democracy amid global conflicts between democracy, freedom, and authoritarianism. She highlighted Taiwan’s unwavering choice to uphold democracy and maintain peace.
Responding to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s New Year’s Eve speech, where he asserted that Taiwan “will surely be reunified” with China, Tsai emphasized the importance of decisions aligning with the common will of the Taiwanese people. She underscored Taiwan’s democratic processes as the determining factor in shaping the future relationship with China.
Xi Jinping has previously stated that China would not rule out the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. The ruling DPP, under Tsai’s leadership, advocates sovereignty separate from China, while the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party pledge friendlier ties, expressing concerns about pro-independence remarks affecting Taiwan’s security.
