News Content

New Taiwan leader will not bow to 'One-China' policy, looks to build Asian ties

TAIWAN's new President Tsai Ing-wen has resisted pressure from Beijing to adopt the "One China" principle in her inaugural address.

Pledging to seek peace with China, Ms Tsai said the understanding reached at historic talks in 1992 where the two sides agreed to seek common ground should form one foundation of future ties. Taiwan's 1946 constitution, which still claims mainland China as part of its territory, should form another, she said.

President Tsai said she respected the historical fact of the 1992 talks between negotiators from mainland China and Taiwan.

The two sides "through communication and negotiations, arrived at various joint acknowledgments and understandings.

"It was done in a spirit of mutual understanding and a political attitude of seeking common ground while setting aside differences," she said, Bloomberg reported.

Taiwan's new leader was "ambiguous on the fundamental issue" China's official Xinhua News Agency said in response, citing the mainland's Taiwan Affairs Office.

In the same statement, Beijing said it would boost interactions between the peoples, but institutionalised interactions could only continue on the basis of the "One-China" principle.

With the Democratic Progressive Party assuming control of both the executive and legislative branches for the first time, Ms Tsai pledged to implement key structural reforms to Taiwan's economy to help it better integrate with the rest of Asia.

Dragged down by slower demand for its products from China and overseas, Taiwan has posted three straight quarters of economic contraction.

Liu Guoshen, director of Xiamen University's Taiwan Research Institute, praised President Tsai's address as a mild and practical speech.

"You can see Tsai was making a real effort to stabilise the cross-strait ties. She's trying in her speech to strike a balance in addressing various audience: her own party, Beijing, and the United States," Mr Liu said.

President Tai's inauguration was attended by dignitaries from 59 nations, including Taiwan's 22 remaining diplomatic allies, and a US delegation led by former US Trade Representative Ron Kirk.