President Tsai Ing-wen has been nominated for TIME’s list of the100 most influential people of 2020. The magazine announced its list on Wednesday.
The Presidential Office thanked US Senator Ted Cruz for nominating Tsai. Office spokesperson Chang Chun-han said, “Cruz has always been a sincere friend to Taiwan, having pushed for many Taiwan-friendly acts and supported Taiwan in joining international organizations.”
Chang says that Tsai’s nomination reflects the country as a whole. “The president thanks all the Taiwanese people for their collective hard work,” Chang said. Chang also said that by staying united while fighting COVID-19 and keeping the peace in the region, Taiwanese people have made their country seen by the world.
In his nomination of Tsai, Ted Cruz called Tsai “a signal lamp casting out China’s looming shadow, conveying to the world that Taiwan will not acquiesce to the Chinese Communist Party.” “China is the world’s largest communist regime, and this self-made woman is determined to resist it. She does not cower,” Cruz added.
Tsai was not the only Taiwanese person to make the list: joining her is Taiwanese gay rights activist Chi Chia-wei.