Opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson and presidential hopeful Tsai Ing-wen is set to appear on the cover of TIME Magazine’s international edition.
The US-based magazine is scheduled to publish an interview with Tsai entitled “She could lead the only Chinese democracy—and that makes Beijing nervous”. In the report, Tsai is quoted as saying that Taiwan needs “a new model”. She also says that she will work to reduce Taiwan’s economic reliance on China.
Speaking to the Taiwanese media on Friday, Tsai said she hopes the interview with TIME Magazine will get the international community to understand that Taiwanese people value democracy. Tsai responded to a question about the byline of the interview, which says that her election may make Beijing nervous, by saying that her party is determined to protect the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
Meanwhile, Tsai’s election rival, Legislature Vice President Hung Hsiu-chu from the ruling Kuomintang (KMT), said that TIME Magazine sees Tsai as a favorite in the upcoming election because she has been preparing for the race for a long time. Hung said that she stands in contrast to Tsai as a newly emerged candidate, so TIME Magazine knows little about her.