(NewsReady.com) – China is on a mission to force Taiwan to unify with it, claiming the island belongs to it. Taiwan has long held that it’s a sovereign nation and not part of China. The island’s new president is calling on the Chinese government to stop its intimidation.
On May 20, Taiwan inaugurated William Lai Ching-te as its fifth democratically-elected president. Thousands of people traveled to the Presidential Office Building in the capital of Taipei to celebrate the new president.
During his speech, the new president expressed hope that the Chinese government would accept that Taiwan exists and respect the choices the people made. He called on Beijing to “choose dialogue over confrontation” and “cease their political and military intimidation.”
China has repeatedly threatened the Taiwanese people over the last few years. The communist country has said that it would not rule out an invasion of the island to force its reunification plan. Beijing has also sent multiple warplanes into the island’s airspace as an intimidation tactic. The constant threats have further strained China’s relationship with America.
The Taiwanese president said China and the island have a “global responsibility of maintaining peace and stability” and avoiding a war. He said his country isn’t going to concede to China’s demands but promised he wouldn’t try to provoke the powerful nation either.
Lai discussed the possibility of Chinese and Taiwanese citizens benefitting from one another. He asked the Chinese Communist government to start allowing their students to enroll in Taiwan’s universities and allow two-way tourism.
Lai accepted the congratulations from officials who attended the event including politicians from the US. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a statement praising the people of Taiwan for “demonstrating the strength of their robust and resilient democratic system.” He went on to commend the former president, Tsai Ing-wen, for working to strengthen ties between Taiwan and the US over the last eight years. Blinken said they would continue to deepen that “longstanding unofficial relationship” and ensure there’s peace in the region.
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