‘War is not an option’, Taiwan president says amid tension with China

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TAIPEI – Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen vowed on Saturday to maintain the status quo of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait amid rising tensions with China, which has increased military pressure on the country. with democratically administered island.

Taiwan will not provoke and will not bow to Chinese pressure, Tsai said in a speech at the presidential office in Taipei on the occasion of the seventh anniversary of her rule.

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China, which considers Taiwan its own and threatens to control the island if necessary, has ramped up military and diplomatic pressure to force the island to accept Chinese sovereignty since Tsai Ing. Van took office in 2016.

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Beijing has rejected 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 by non-peaceful means,” Tsai said. “Maintaining the status quo of peace and stability is the consensus of the whole world and Taiwan.”

“Although Taiwan is surrounded by risk, it is by no means a risk maker. We are a responsible risk manager and Taiwan will stand with countries and democratic communities around the world to defuse risks together,” she said.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said leaders of the Group of Seven rich nations (G7) had agreed that they were seeking a peaceful solution to the Taiwan issue.

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Tsai said Taiwanese officials were in discussions with the administration of US President Joe Biden about sending $500 million worth of arms aid to Taiwan, adding that the aid was aimed at address delayed arms deliveries due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

She emphasized the global importance of Taiwan’s supply chain, which produces most of the world’s advanced semiconductor chips, and is committed to keeping the most advanced chip technologies and research centers in place. research and development in Taiwan.

Taiwan is gearing up for a key presidential election in mid-January, with China tensions at the forefront of the campaign agenda.

Representing Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT) in a key vote in mid-January, New Taipei City mayor Hou Yu-ih said on Saturday that Taiwan faces The choice between “peace and war” under Tsai’s rule and he vowed to keep the region stable through unspecified “dialogue and exchange”.

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“Fear of war will never dispel hope for peace,” Hou said at an event in Taipei to launch his election campaign and pledge to defend the Republic of China. , the official name of Taiwan.

Hou is running against Taiwan Vice President William Lai from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

The Kuomintang, which favors close ties with China, sees the 2024 vote as a choice between war and peace.

At the presidential office when asked about the opposition’s stance on the election, Tsai said that maintaining peace should be the consensus of all political parties in Taiwan and that one should not should “sell the fear of war for electoral benefits”. (Reporting by Yimou Lee; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and William Mallard)