Tsai vows to maintain peace across Taiwan Strait
ROC Central News Agency
05/20/2023 02:12 PM
Taipei, May 20 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday vowed to make maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait one of the top priorities for the end of her second and final term in office.
Speaking in a news conference to mark seven years since her May 20, 2016 inauguration, Tsai said peace was the only option for Taiwan in terms of ties with China, and was an issue that had become key to global peace and prosperity.
Despite China's provocative military action and attempts to diplomatically isolate Taiwan, the country's people have been able to react in a calm and reasonable manner instead of rashly and aggressively, demonstrating its characteristics as a free and democratic country, Tsai said.
Tsai said the efforts to maintain its status quo were the bottom line for Taiwan, adding that the country opposed any unilateral changes.
"Taiwan will keep its promise to maintain peace across the Taiwan Strait and stand firmly by the 'four commitments' to protect the interests of the people in Taiwan," Tsai told reporters. "But Taiwan will not yield to any pressure, while trying hard to avoid any conflicts and seeking dialogue (with China) to build consensus and solve the cross-strait problems."
The four commitments were presented by Tsai in her Oct. 10 National Day speech in 2021, referring to the commitment to a free and democratic constitutional system, the commitment that the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan's formal name, and the People's Republic of China should not be subordinate to each other, the commitment to resist annexation or encroachment upon Taiwan's sovereignty, and the commitment that the future of Taiwan must be decided in accordance with the will of the Taiwanese people.
Tsai said Taiwan had turned over a new leaf since she became the president seven years ago after years of building its military strength.
With a prototype of Taiwan's first domestically manufactured submarine set to be launched in the second half of this year, the world will witness Taiwan's determination to defend itself, Tsai added.
At the G7 Summit held from Friday through Sunday in Hiroshima in Japan, the leaders of the seven industrial countries have placed emphasis on the situation across the Taiwan Strait, according to Tsai.
Prior to the G7 Summit, U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reiterated their "resolve to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait" after the two leaders met on Thursday.
Citing Kishida's recent comments, Tsai said the Taiwan issue has come under spotlight in the international community and is a critical part of global peace.
As a result, Taiwan cannot look down on itself but must take the responsibility to work with its like-minded allies to push for regional peace.
"Although Taiwan is at risk, it is never a risk maker but a responsible risk controller," Tsai said. "Taiwan will stand with all democratic countries in the international community to resolve the risks."
"The ruling and opposition parties in Taiwan should unite themselves to safeguard the ROC, although they tend to compete each other to score a victory in elections," Tsai said. "Only when Taiwan is safe will the world be safe."
In addition to the peace issue, Tsai said Taiwan will also continue to cement its critical role in the global supply chain, in particular as trade tensions between Washington and Beijing was on the rise, adding Taipei, which has commanded the lead in high tech development, is able to make a breakthrough under such circumstances.
Through the implementation of the forward-looking infrastructure projects and the efforts to push for "Six Core Strategic Industries," Tsai said, Taiwan has commanded an irreplaceable status in the global supply chain, citing a government statistics which pointed to news foreign investments topping NT$2 trillion (US$65.15 billion) in the seven years she led Taiwan as a president.
In 2020, Taiwan launched the Six Core Strategic Industry initiatives to boost global competitive edge by prompting digital technology, cyber security, medical technology and precision health, green and renewable energy, national defense and strategic industries, and strategic stockpile industries.
Tsai said while Taiwan had just started to build its own green energy industry when she took office seven years ago, she anticipates the efforts in developing renewable energy in Taiwan will attract about NT$1 trillion worth foreign investments by the end of this year under Taiwan's goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
Tsai also boasted the government's New Southbound Policy, which targeted 18 countries in Southeast Asia and South Asia, as well as Australia, and New Zealand to expand economic, cultural and political ties with them and reduce dependence on China, saying Taiwan's exports to the 18 countries hit a new high of US$96.9 billion in 2022.
In terms of the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade, the first phase negotiations of which have been concluded with the first agreement expected to be signed in coming weeks, Tsai said the agreement is expected to serve as the most detailed trade pact signed between Taiwan and the U.S. since 1979 and will turn a new page in the trade ties between Washington and Taipei.
The areas in the first agreement will cover customs and trade facilitation, regulatory practices, domestic regulation of services, anti-corruption practices, and small and medium-sized enterprises.
(By Wen Kuei-hsiang, Lai Yu-chen, Matt Yu and Frances Huang)
Enditem/ASG
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