China heaps pressure on Taiwan president after election defeat

[webfact]

China heaps pressure on Taiwan president after election defeat

 

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen announces her resignation as chairwoman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) after local elections in Taipei, Taiwan November 24, 2018. REUTERS/Ann Wang

 

TAIPEI/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese state media heaped pressure on Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday after her ruling pro-independence party suffered heavy defeats at local elections at the weekend, saying Beijing would seek cooperation with newly elected officials.

 

Tsai resigned on Saturday as chairwoman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) after losing key battleground cities in mayoral polls to the China-friendly Kuomintang. The DPP now only controls six cities and counties to the Kuomintang's 15.

 

Han Kuo-yu, the Kuomintang's mayor-elect in the southern port city of Kaohsiung and the most high profile of the party's winners, said he would open the door to contacts with China.

 

Beijing has refused to deal with Tsai's administration since she took office in 2016, accusing her of pushing for the island's formal independence. That is a red line for China, which considers the proudly democratic island sacred Chinese territory.

 

Tsai has said she wants to maintain the status quo with China but will defend Taiwan's security and democracy.

 

The official China Daily said in an editorial Tsai had ignored Beijing's "cooperative stance" and forced relations into a deadlock, and that "her separatist stance has lost her the support of the people on the island".

 

"Cross-Straits communication and cooperation between local governments are expected to be strengthened as a result of the election, which will bring more opportunities and help deepen mutual understanding," it wrote.

 

The Kuomintang has sent delegations to China since Tsai took office, where they have been warmly received, and that contact is now likely to increase.

 

Another state-run Chinese paper, the widely read tabloid the Global Times, said in its editorial that the DPP's "radical thinking" had led them astray.

 

"The party needs to reflect on this failure and make an about-face on its stance in the cross-Straits ties," it said.

 

Taiwan's government has warned China not to interfere in its elections and reacted swiftly on Sunday to denounce China's welcoming of the DPP's poor showing as being a reflection of people's desire for better ties across the Taiwan Strait.

 

"Communications and exchanges that do not have political preconditions are the only correct way to resolve disputes and increase the well-being of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait," Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council said, warning China not to try to contact newly elected local officials.

 

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Brenda Goh; Editing by Paul Tait)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-11-26

[fvw53]

The cooperation between the authorities in Beijing and their former arch enemy (the Kuomintang) makes me think of the famous words coming from the Prime Minister of King Louis XIII of France who was also a cardinal...He made a deal with the Ottomans to stab the Pope in the back...and when asked how he could do that as a Cardinal he replied :  "France has no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, only permanent interests".  Since then many world leaders have repeated this...

[Tchooptip]

 That is a red line for China, which considers the proudly democratic rich and prosperous island sacred Chinese territory interests. ???? 

 

[tonbridgebrit]

So, the people of Taiwan have voted, and they have voted to not drift away from China, they've voted to drift towards China. Democracy is massively important to the people of Taiwan, and a democratic vote must be respected, and the will of the people must be carried out.

Come on, people, get real. The "Republic of China, Taiwan" is a democracy, and they have used their free will and democratic rights to vote for this. Taiwan's ace card has always been that it is a democracy, and that mainland China is not. Democracy, the will of the people, let's accept that, let's accept this vote.

[tonbridgebrit]

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/china-lauds-voters-defeat-taiwans-ruling-party-031512137.html


The headline from the above article is actually "Taiwan rebukes ruling party, emboldens China-friendly opposition".

The people of Taiwan have voted to not call themselves "Taiwan" at the 2020 Olympics. They will call themselves "Chinese Taipei" instead. And the voters are not in favour of same-sex marriages.


Go on Taiwan. You've got freedom of speech, unlike them other Chinese in mainland China. You've got a democratic vote, unlike them other Chinese in mainland China. Use your freedom of speech, use your democratic vote. Tell the world that any claims that Taiwan hates mainland China are absurd. The media (as in, Reuters) they've got to report the news. They've got to report this defeat for Taiwan's anti-China ruling party. Surely, Taiwan's anti-China ruling party will lose the general election next year ?