TAIPEI, Taiwan �� Taiwan's relations with China are becoming more fraught as Beijing increasingly reverts to threatening and intimidating its neighbor, President Tsai Ing-wen said while promising not to return to "the old path of confrontation."
Tsai's comments during a New Year's Eve address in Taipei came at a sensitive time, weeks after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump angered China by accepting a protocol-breaking phone call from the Taiwanese president.
The 10-minute conversation Dec. 2 was the closest a Taiwanese leader has come to getting recognition from Washington since the U.S. established ties with the Communist government in China almost four decades ago.
"Step by step, Beijing is going back to the old path of dividing, coercing, and even threatening and intimidating Taiwan," Tsai said, according to a translation of her remarks. "We hope this does not reflect a policy choice by Beijing, but must say that such conduct has hurt the feelings of the Taiwanese people and destabilized cross-strait relations."
"The Republic of China is an independent, sovereign country," Tsai said, using Taiwan's official name. She called for "new models for cross-strait interactions."
Relations between Taiwan and China have soured since Tsai became the island's president in May after a landslide election victory. She has declined to endorse the One China policy, a longstanding acknowledgment that the two are part of the same China, even if they disagree on what that means. China considers Taiwan a breakaway province, while the Taiwanese constitution claims that its territory includes mainland China.
Much of Tsai's talk was devoted to her plans for the economy, including an effort to spur domestic demand with mid- to long-term public-works projects. "Next March, the Cabinet will unveil a comprehensive, forward-looking infrastructure development plan," she said.
Tsai said Saturday that spending could be added to the current budget for infrastructure development, or that a special budget could be approved. The government will work to encourage private investors to participate, she said.
"The most important mission in 2017 is to stimulate Taiwan's economy by all means," she said.
