China is unlikely to attack Taiwan anytime soon, the island’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, said in an interview with the New York Times published Nov. 29.
Responding to a question about the likelihood of a Chinese attack on Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen said the island is indeed subject to Chinese military pressure, cyber attacks, disinformation and operations in the so-called gray zone.
However, the island’s residents remain calm, the president said. Some observers say he is even too calm. Taiwan is making every effort to strengthen its defense capabilities and the resilience of its society.
With all this, Tsai Ing-wen said that China is unlikely to attack Taiwan in the near future, due to the ongoing internal fighting there. At the same time, maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait is in the interests of all parties.
The interview with Tsai Ing-wen aired during the New York Times’ The DealBook Summit event. Interviewed by Andrew Ross Sorkin.
Let us remember that in Taiwan there are different points of view on future relations with China. The opposition Kuomintang Party adheres to the “one China” principle and believes the country should be united under the rule of Taiwan’s democratic regime. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party and its leader Tsai Ing-wen advocate for the island’s independence and withdrawal from communist China.
When she became president in 2016, Tsai Ing-wen refused to commit to integration with China. The People’s Republic of China closed its representative office on the island, which unofficially served as an embassy.
Presidential elections are scheduled for January 13 in Taiwan. According to public opinion polls, the leader of the electoral race is the candidate of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, Lai Qingde. In second and third place are the leader of the Taiwan People’s Party, Ke Wenzhe, and the representative of the Kuomintang, Hou Yui.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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