Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan's president, rang in the new year with a warning for China: armed confrontation is not the solution. "We must urge the Beijing authorities not to misjudge the situation and to avoid the domestic spread of'military adventurism,'" Tsai said in her live-streamed New Year's address on Saturday.
In the last two years, China has upped military and diplomatic pressure on Taiwan to enforce its sovereignty claims. In his New Year's address the day before, Chinese President Xi Jinping claimed that the total reunion of "the motherland" was a desire held by people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan claims independence and has promised to protect its freedom and democracy on several occasions. "The military is not a viable option for resolving cross-strait conflicts. Economic stability would be harmed by military wars "Tsai said. "Maintaining regional peace and stability is a shared obligation between our two sides."
Tsai stated that Taiwan's policy has always been "to not surrender when under duress and to not rush forward when getting support." Tsai added that in order to find peaceful solutions to difficulties in the area, both Taipei and Beijing must "work hard to take care of people's livelihoods and soothe the hearts of the people."
Tsai also stated that Taiwan would continue to monitor the situation in Hong Kong, noting that interference in the recent legislative election, as well as the arrests of senior staff at the pro-democracy news outlet Stand News this week, "made people worry even more about human rights and freedom of speech in Hong Kong."
Taiwan's most essential aim in 2022, according to Tsai, is stable governance. "We will preserve peace and stability in the region by upholding our sovereignty, upholding the ideals of freedom and democracy, defending territorial sovereignty and national security, and upholding our sovereignty."
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