By Johnson Lai, Associated Press — Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday 20 May 2020
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen called for stability in relations with China in her inaugural address Wednesday, but said she would not accept Beijing’s political terms that would “downgrade Taiwan and undermine the cross-strait status quo.”
Re-elected by a landslide late last year, Tsai said relations with Beijing had reached a “historical turning point” and that “peace, parity, democracy, and dialogue” should form the basis for contacts between the sides. “We will not accept the Beijing authorities’ use of ‘one country, two systems’ to downgrade Taiwan and undermine the cross-strait status quo,” Tsai told an audience at the baroque Taipei Guest House.
Prior to her address, congratulatory remarks from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were read out praising Tsai’s “courage and vision in leading Taiwan’s vibrant democracy.” US support comes amid rising frictions between Washington and Beijing over trade, technology and allegations of Beijing’s mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic. Despite Beijing’s attempts to isolate Taiwan diplomatically, Tsai has overseen steady growth in Taiwan’s high-tech economy and enacted social reforms, including making the island the only democracy in Asia to recognize same-sex marriage.
Pew Research Center polling found that 66% of Taiwan island residents view themselves as Taiwanese, 28% as both Taiwanese and Chinese, and 4% as just Chinese. Among respondents under 30, fully 83% said they don’t consider themselves Chinese.