Taiwan will not succumb to defeatism: president

ROC Central News Agency

2018/05/08 22:50:45

Taipei, May 8 (CNA) As a country that faces difficulties ahead, Taiwan must do everything in its power to deal with those challenges and that will take the determination of both its leader and people not to give in to defeatism, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said recently.

In a pre-recorded interview with TTV and Unique Broadcasting that aired Tuesday night, Tsai was asked to share her thoughts on the evacuation of British and French troops from Dunkirk during World War II after saying she recently read a book about the event.

"My thought was: no matter how difficult the situation, there is no room for defeatism. We, as a nation, have to make every effort to confront the challenges we face," Tsai said.

When a country faces difficulties it takes not only the willpower of its leader but also the grit and mobilization of its people to ensure survival, as seen in the miracle of Dunkirk created by then-U.K. Prime Minister Winston Churchill and its people, she said.

Although the situation faced by Taiwan is very different to that of the U.K during WWII, the nation still faces a difficult road ahead, Tsai said, adding that she has the determination and willpower needed to shoulder the responsibility given to her by the people of Taiwan.

Asked to comment on the recent statement made by the White House criticizing Beijing for its attempts to force enterprises to adopt its rules regarding Taiwan's designation, Tsai said the move by the U.S. government was made "in its own interests."

"What the U.S. did is defend its private businesses against political pressure from foreign governments," Tsai said, though she added that Washington had to some extent also highlighted the unjust treatment faced by Taiwan.

(By Shih Hsiu-chuan)
Enditem/AW