President says continued suppression has pushed self-ruled island to work more closely with United States

South China Morning Post
Date:June, 2018
By: Lawrence Chung

Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday blamed Beijing for escalating cross-strait tensions, saying it has resulted in the self-ruled island drawing closer to Washington as it tries to counter pressure from the mainland.

During a meeting at her office with scholars from a Washington-based think tank led by Richard Bush, a former unofficial US envoy to Taiwan, Tsai said non-stop suppression from the mainland had only pushed Taipei to work more closely with the United States.

“Despite the latest changes in the Asia-Pacific region or in the Taiwan Strait, South China Sea or the Korean peninsula, being a responsible member of the international society, Taiwan has done all it can to maintain the cross-strait status quo in order to maintain peace, prosperity and development in the region,” she told Bush and others from the Brookings Institution.    [FULL  STORY]