Taiwan's president made a statement on Monday (January 1) after Xi Jinping said the islands' reunification was “inevitable.”
The President of Taiwan, Tsai Ingwen, stated this Monday (January 1, 2024) that relations between her country and China must be decided by the will of the people.
Tsai Ingwen said strengthening ties between the island and China “requires the common will of the Taiwanese people to make a decision.” He said: “After all, we are a democratic country.” The information comes from Portal.
Taiwan will hold parliamentary and presidential elections on January 13 this year. The current leader will not run for the office as she has already reached the limit of two consecutive terms. His party and his candidate defend the island's autonomy from China. Opposition parties advocate strengthening ties with Beijing.
The Taiwanese president's statement came after Chinese President Xi Jinping said the island's “reunification” was “inevitable.”
“All Chinese people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should pursue a common goal and share the glory of revitalizing the Chinese nation,” he said in his New Year's address.
This year's speech had a bolder tone than the previous one. Last year, Xi said only that people on both sides of the strait were “members of the same family” and that he hoped people on both sides would work together to “jointly promote the lasting prosperity of the Chinese nation.”
Taiwan is one of China's most sensitive issues. Relations between Taipei and Beijing have experienced several moments of tension since the late 1940s, when the island came under independent rule following a civil war.
China considers the island to be part of its territory in the form of a breakaway province.