Los Angeles, President Tsai Ing-wen (???) told a press conference in the United States on Thursday that her foreign policy is in the best interest of Taiwan and she hopes her successor will follow in her footsteps.
Tsai, who wrapped up her 10-day overseas trip with the press conference in Los Angeles, expressed hope that the future president of the Republic of China (Taiwan’s official name), regardless of party affiliation, will “establish a foreign policy that ensures Taiwan’s best interest.”
“I believe what I am doing serves the best interest of Taiwan, and [I] hope the future president will follow suit,” Tsai added, referring to her foreign policy.
Nevertheless, Tsai, whose second and final term ends in May 2024, declined to comment on Vice President Lai Ching-te’s (???) potential presidential bid as the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate in the election next January.
Nor did she address rumors that Hsiao Bi-khim (???), Taiwan’s top envoy to the U.S., might run for vice president on the DPP ticket, saying “let’s not talk about domestic politics here [in the U.S].”
Hsiao, who also attended the press conference, did not comment on the rumors.
Since Tsai took office in 2016, she has pursued so-called “steadfast diplomacy” that involves developing relationship with Taiwan’s allies and strengthening ties with other democratic nations, especially the U.S. and Japan.
However, Taiwan has lost nine diplomatic allies to China in the past seven years, including Honduras last month, just days before Tsai embarked on her trip to Central American allies Guatemala and Belize. Currently, Taiwan has only 13 diplomatic allies.
Taipei has criticized Beijing for luring away its allies through “dollar diplomacy” and for ramping up its campaign to squeeze Taiwan’s space on the international stage.
Tsai denied that the government has focused more on its unofficial ties with countries like the U.S. and Japan, both of which maintain diplomatic relations with China, saying developing relations with Taiwan’s allies should be “equally important.”
She added that through interactions with “international friends,” she hopes the world will better understand Taiwan’s situation and see the efforts made by her administration in handling cross-strait and global affairs.
Tsai’s overseas trip reached a climax earlier on Thursday when she met with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, and the two made public statements after the meeting.
The trip was presented by some western media as being in stark contrast to the ongoing 12-day trip to China by former President Ma Ying-jeou (???), the first such visit by a former Taiwanese leader.
Ma, who currently does not hold any official position in the Kuomintang (KMT), said at a talk at Hunan University last Sunday that Taiwan and mainland China are both China.
“According to our definition, our nation is divided into two parts: the Taiwan area and the mainland area. Both are the ROC, both are China,” said Ma, who has met with Chinese officials handling Taiwan affairs and provisional government leaders over the past few days.
Asked to comment, Tsai suggested Ma’s comments were obsolete, saying the statement made by the former president would have fitted in the 1970s.
“From our current situations, the fact is quite clear. That it, the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China do not belong to one another,” Tsai said.
Meanwhile, the KMT, the main opposition party in Taiwan, has said Ma’s comments are in accordance with the ROC Constitution.
Source: Focus Taiwan