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Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has written to Pope Francis to say that struggle between Taiwan and China will not be an choice and solely by respecting the Taiwanese individuals’s insistence on sovereignty and freedom can there be wholesome ties with Beijing.
The Vatican is Chinese language-claimed Taiwan’s sole European diplomatic ally, and Taipei has watched with concern as Pope Francis has moved to enhance relations with China.
The democratically-governed island has formal ties with solely 14 nations, largely on account of Chinese language strain.
Within the letter, despatched in response to the pope’s World Day Of Peace message on January 1, Ms Tsai mentioned the struggle in Ukraine has made the world recognize the worth of peace and that sustaining regional safety has develop into an essential consensus.
“In my Nationwide Day speech final yr, I reiterated that peace and stability within the Taiwan Strait are the muse for the event of cross-Strait relations and armed confrontation is completely not an choice,” Ms Tsai mentioned, in line with a duplicate of the letter launched by her workplace on Monday.
“Solely by respecting the dedication of the Taiwanese individuals to our sovereignty, democracy, and freedom can there be a basis for resuming constructive interplay throughout the Taiwan Strait,” she mentioned, referring to the speech she gave on October 10.
China staged struggle video games close to Taiwan in August, and Beijing has by no means renounced the usage of pressure to convey the island below its management.
Ms Tsai wrote that Taiwan has despatched humanitarian assist to Ukraine, and offered masks and protecting tools to nations in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, because it “hopes to present the world a greater Taiwan”.
“Though we’re nonetheless excluded from the World Well being Organisation, we’re satisfied that taking the lead in making optimistic contributions will drive a ‘virtuous circle’,” she added.
Taiwan has complained repeatedly that its exclusion from the WHO, on account of Chinese language strain, has hampered efforts to struggle the COVID-19 pandemic. Each the WHO and China have denied that.
Taiwan rejects China’s sovereignty claims, saying that solely the island’s 23 million individuals can determine their future.
– Reuters
