Tsai Ing-wen came under fire for not recognizing the ‘1992 Consensus,’ but Xi’s speech last week proved that her strategy was the correct one.
The News Lens
Date: 2019/01/07
By: Hilton Yip
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) had a rough 2018, and 2019 started off in a
Credit: Taiwan Presidential Office
similar manner. After ushering in the new year with a New Year’s Day address to the nation, Tsai had to reply the next day to a strong speech by Chinese leader Xi Jinping calling for Taiwan to accept “unification.” She then had to face a public challenge on Jan. 3 from several Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) figures calling for her to step down for the 2020 presidential election, which she also rebutted.
Xi’s “unification” demand might be worrying, but it also vindicates Tsai’s tough stance towards China.
Tsai has faced heavy criticism for refusing to acknowledge the “1992 Consensus,” which China demands that Taiwan’s government agree to. Taiwan’s previous president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had no problem agreeing to the so-called consensus, but Tsai has declined to do so since taking power in 2016. As a result, China has punished Taiwan by refusing any official contact with Taiwan, snatching away five of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, pressuring international companies to cease any recognition of Taiwan, and obstructing Taiwan’s participation in international forums. It has also reduced the number of Chinese tour groups bound for Taiwan, which has seen the number of Chinese visitors to Taiwan drop steadily since 2016. [FULL STORY]
