Taiwan president’s New Year address defends law aimed at Beijing influence
- President Tsai Ing-wen says anti-infiltration law will not hamper cross-strait activities nor impact on people’s freedoms
- Legislation criticised by Beijing’s Taiwan affairs office
In her remarks early on Wednesday, Tsai said the law passed by the legislature – where her independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) has the majority – a day earlier would not hamper activities between Taiwan and mainland China.
“We are anti-infiltration, not anti-exchange, so normal cross-strait exchanges and interactions will not be affected by this legislation, so the Taiwan businesspeople, students, and scholars in mainland China, all of those engaged in normal lives there will continue to do so without impact,” Tsai said.
“The anti-infiltration law must undergo court rulings, which will guarantee it will not impact Taiwanese people’s freedoms or infringe upon human rights and economic exchange, just allowing Taiwanese people’s democratic freedoms to be better protected.
“Safeguarding sovereignty, democracy, and freedom – this is the position that the Republic of China’s president must hold fast to.”
Beijing has long been accused of interfering in self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of its own territory that must be one day brought under its fold.
