Daily US Times, Taipei: The newly re-elected Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen said China needs to “face reality” and show the island “respect”.
In an interview with the BBC, she said her country ”don’t have a need to declare ourselves an independent state”, it is already ”an independent country”.
Tsai Ing-wen claimed a landslide victory for the second term on Saturday. Her campaign focused heavily on the rising threat from Beijing.
Beijing has long claimed sovereignty over Taiwan and the right to take it by force if necessary.
Ms Tsai insisted that the sovereignty of her country was not in doubt or up for negotiation.
In the election, Ms Tsai’s main rival was Kuomintang party’s Han Kuo-yu, who was in favour of Beijing’s ”One China” policy.
Han Kuo-yu’s party considers its root to the defeated nationalists in the Chinese civil war who fled to Taiwan and continued to see the island as part of a greater China from which they had been usurped.
”One China Policy” has proved a useful compromise in recent years as Taiwanese supporters of it argue.
But Tsai believes her victory proved that the supporter on ”One China Policy” in her country is low and the ambiguity it allowed over Taiwan’s real status.
“The situation has changed”, Tsai describes her country’s stand, but she suggested that it ic Chian what has really changed.
China has been intensifying its threat in recent year. The country has their military vessels and aircraft cruising around the island.
“We’re a successful democracy, we have a pretty decent economy, we deserve respect from China”, Tsai said.