The democratic island of Taiwan, with a population of 24 million, is under constant threat of invasion by China, which sees it as part of the territory to be reclaimed one day, if necessary by force.
In a peaceful speech, Tsai Ing-wen said the Taiwanese were “ready to provide the necessary assistance based on humanitarian concerns” to Beijing “as long as there is a need”.
The President added that she hoped that, with this help, “more people would stop being sick and have a safe New Year”, according to the France-Presse news agency.
China is facing a wave of covid-19 cases, following the abrupt end of the “zero covid” policy last month, three years after the first cases appeared in the city of Wuhan (center), at the end of December 2019.
The Chinese “zero covid” policy has allowed for broad protection of the population since 2020, thanks to widespread screening tests, strict monitoring of movements and mandatory confinement and quarantine with the detection of cases.
These measures, which largely isolated China from the rest of the world, dealt a severe blow to the world’s second largest economy. In recent months, they have led to growing public frustration and unusual anti-government protests.
In his televised New Year speech on Saturday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the “light of hope is ahead” as epidemic prevention and control enters “a new phase”.
But Xi Jinping also said, in a separate speech on Friday, that Beijing had “resolutely fought against separatists’ attempts to achieve “Taiwan independence” and the intervention of external forces to achieve this.
Relations between Taiwan and China deteriorated in 2022, as Beijing intensified military, diplomatic and economic pressure on the autonomous island. In August, Beijing staged massive military exercises near the island to protest a visit to Taipei by outgoing Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.
In the traditional New Year speech, Tsai said that Chinese military activities around Taiwan “did not help” to maintain relations between the two sides.
“War was never an option to solve problems. Only dialogue, cooperation and the common goal of promoting stability and development in the region can make more people feel safe and happy,” she said.
A common mission for Taiwan and China in 2023 is “to restore healthy and sustainable post-pandemic exchanges between people on both sides” of the Taiwan Strait, he added.
“We also have a common duty to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and in the region,” said Tsai Ing-wen.
EJ // EJ
By Impala News / Lusa
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