Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen vowed Saturday to maintain the status quo of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, amid rising tensions with China, which is ramping up military pressure on the island and considers it an inalienable part of its territory.
Tsai said – in a speech she delivered on the occasion of the seventh anniversary of her assumption of power – that Taiwan will not be provoked and will not submit to Chinese pressure.
“War is not an option,” said the Taiwanese president, adding that maintaining the status quo of peace and stability “is the consensus of the world and Taiwan.”
For his part, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said – yesterday, Friday – that the leaders of the Group of Seven countries agreed to seek a peaceful solution to issues related to Taiwan.
Taiwan is preparing for important presidential elections in mid-January, and the tension with China is at the forefront of the election campaign.
It is noteworthy that Washington announced – yesterday, Thursday – the conclusion of trade talks with Taipei to enhance economic relations between them, before signing a trade agreement and less than a year after the launch of this initiative, which was strongly criticized by China.
Since Tsai took power in 2016, China has intensified its military and diplomatic pressure to force the island to accept Chinese sovereignty, and threatens to bring it under its control by force if necessary.
And last April, the Chinese army carried out 3-day maneuvers around the island, in response to a meeting in the United States between the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, and the President of Taiwan.