President Tsai Ing-wen said Aug. 21 that the government worked tirelessly to maintain official relations with El Salvador and prevent the Central American nation from becoming a casualty of cross-strait politics.
El Salvador’s interest in establishing ties with China was known for quite some time, Tsai said. Despite the assistance of like-minded countries and partners, diplomatic efforts failed to avert this sad outcome, she added.
Tsai made the remarks during a special news conference at the Office of the President in Taipei City on the termination of Taiwan-El Salvador relations announced earlier the same day by Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu.
According to Tsai, the development is not an isolated incident but part of a campaign by China to suppress Taiwan’s international space. This includes influencing the East Asian Olympic Committee into stripping Taichung City in central Taiwan of the 2019 East Asian Youth Games, pressuring airlines to change the country’s website designation and sending military aircraft to encircle the island, she said.
Taiwan is entitled to its place in the world and the people have the right to equality, dignity, freedom and sovereignty, Tsai said. Threats will not force the people to give up these rights, nor dampen a desire to engage with and contribute to the global community, she added.
The existence of the Republic of China (Taiwan) represents the status quo and is the bedrock upon which the people’s unity is founded, Tsai said. Undermining the government’s ability to carry out foreign diplomacy in the country’s official name violates national sovereignty and crosses the red line for Taiwan’s major political parties, she added.
Political issues between the two sides of the strait no longer unfold in isolation, Tsai said. By attempting to overthrow the international order led by traditional powers, China is threatening cross-strait peace and risking serious global instability, she added.
According to Tsai, China never loosened its stranglehold over Taiwan nor abandoned attempts to diminish its status at every opportunity. But the people continue to show the world they will not be cowed and are galvanized in the face of such a challenge, she said.
The president urged the allies to celebrate their long-standing friendships with Taiwan and cherish the country’s contributions to achieving sustainable national development. She also called on like-minded countries to stand with Taiwan on the front-line in defending democracy, freedom and rules-based order from incursions by China. (SFC-E)
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