Tsai Ing-wen, chairwoman and presidential candidate of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), has reiterated that she will maintain the status quo in Taiwan if she is elected. She also says that China should pay attention to Taiwanese public opinion in conducting cross-strait relations.
Tsai was speaking on Friday, a day after Zhang Zhijun, China’s top official in charge of interactions with Taiwan, demanded that she clarify her position on Taiwan’s relations with China. Zhang said that relations between Taiwan and China are not between two countries, but between two parts of the same country.
China sees Taiwan as part of its territory, even though the two sides have been ruled separately for more than 60 years. China also threatens to bring Taiwan under its control, by force if necessary.
The DPP has insisted that the future of Taiwan should be decided by its 23 million people. Tsai said that her stance of maintaining the cross-strait status quo is clear. She said that this is the consensus within Taiwan. She also called on Beijing to listen to the Taiwanese people.
Taiwan is scheduled to hold a presidential election in January. Tsai is widely seen as the favorite.