‘War is not an option’: Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-wen vows to maintain cross-strait status quo
- Island will not provoke nor bow to pressure from the mainland, Taiwanese president says, marking the seventh year of her presidency
- Neither side can unilaterally change the status quo with non-peaceful means, she says
Beijing, which considers Taiwan as its own and threatens to bring the island under its control if necessary, has stepped up military and diplomatic pressure to force the island to accept Beijing’s sovereignty since Tsai took office in 2016.
Beijing has rebuffed calls for talks from Tsai, regarding her as a separatist. Tsai has repeatedly vowed to defend Taiwan’s freedom and democracy.
“War is not an option. Neither side can unilaterally change the status quo with non-peaceful means,” Tsai said.
“Maintaining the status quo of peace and stability is the consensus for both the world and Taiwan.
“Although Taiwan is surrounded by risks, it is by no means a risk maker. We are a responsible risk manager and Taiwan will stand together with democratic countries and communities around the world to jointly defuse the risks.”
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In Hiroshima on Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said leaders of the Group of Seven rich nations agreed they were seeking a peaceful resolution to issues relating to Taiwan.
Tsai said Taiwanese officials were in discussions with the administration of US President Joe Biden on sending US$500 million worth of weapons aid to the island, adding that the aid was meant to address deliveries of weapons delayed due to Covid-19.
Most countries, including the United States, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state. Washington, however, opposes any attempt to take the island by force.
She stressed the global importance of Taiwan’s supply chains, which produce most of the world’s advanced semiconductor chips, and vowed to keep the most advanced chip technologies and research and development centres in Taiwan.
