The latest Asia edition of Time magazine is to print an interview with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) — with the cover to feature her photograph — introducing her political background, while portraying her as a confident politician with a sense of humor.
“My purpose in giving the interview was to allow the international community to understand Taiwanese determination to defend values of democracy, and I’m glad that Time chose to make it a cover story and speak so much about the nation’s democratic development,” Tsai said on the sidelines of a campaign event in New Taipei City. “During the interview, I specially reminded the international community to pay attention to recent developments in Taiwan, especially after the Sunflower movement last year. Society now has a different expectation of the future.”
With the headline: “She could lead the only Chinese [sic] democracy,” a Time subheadline is to say: “That could make Beijing nervous.”
Photo: CNA
Tsai said it is a shared responsibility across the Taiwan Strait to maintain peace and stability.
“We want the international community to understand that it is everyone’s shared responsibility to maintain peace and stability,” Tsai said. “We especially stressed the DPP’s determination to maintain cross-strait peace and stability, and we hope everyone will work together to enhance stability and peace across the Taiwan Strait.”
In the interview, Tsai said that she would try to maintain the cross-strait “status quo,” while putting “Taiwan’s economy, development and culture first” in her policy platforms if elected.
She said that her policies would be Taiwan-centric, as opposed to President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) focus on pushing for new trade and tourism pacts with China.
The report said Tsai was “vague” on the independence-unification issue, as it was not made clear whether the DPP would repeal its stance on independence. On the issue of unificaiton, Tsai said: “It is something you have to resolve democratically — it is a decision to be made by the people.”
The interview said Tsai expressed confidence over her election chances.
Emily Rauhala, a Time reporter in Beijing who penned the article, said that Tsai offered her the last piece of tuna while they were at a Taiwanese-Japanese fusion restaurant in Kaohsiung and said: “Go back to Beijing and tell them you were served by the next president of Taiwan.”
“Tsai is quietly confident that she will gain the trust of Taiwan’s voters and secure victory, whatever Beijing might think,” Rauhala said.
US President Donald Trump yesterday announced sweeping "reciprocal tariffs" on US trading partners, including a 32 percent tax on goods from Taiwan that is set to take effect on Wednesday. At a Rose Garden event, Trump declared a 10 percent baseline tax on imports from all countries, with the White House saying it would take effect on Saturday. Countries with larger trade surpluses with the US would face higher duties beginning on Wednesday, including Taiwan (32 percent), China (34 percent), Japan (24 percent), South Korea (25 percent), Vietnam (46 percent) and Thailand (36 percent). Canada and Mexico, the two largest US trading
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary
RSS