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03/28/2024 05:22:13 am

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Taiwanese President Tsai Accuses China of ‘Intimidation’ and ‘Coercion’

Taiwan’s President Accuses China of ‘Intimidation’

(Photo : Getty Images) Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen on Saturday accused China of trying to intimidate and coerce the island nation.

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen on Saturday minced no words as she accused China of resorting back to aggressive policies for pressurizing the self-ruled island nation. Tsai, who will soon embark on a week-long Central American tour, was speaking at the year-end conference in Taipei.

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"Step by step, Beijing is going back to the old path of dividing, coercing and even threatening and intimidating Taiwan," Tsai told reporters in the national capital.

The 60-year-old Taiwanese leader hoped that Beijing will not adopt aggressive policies in future course and categorically reminded that such moves have "hurt Taiwanese people's feelings and affected stability across the Taiwan Strait."

However, she asserted that Taiwan "will not bow to pressure" but also maintained that her country "will not revert to the old path of confrontation."

China Piling up Diplomatic Pressure on Taiwan

Chinese leadership has been busy in diplomatically isolating the self-ruled island, ever since Tsai officially assumed the country's presidential office on May 20. The pro-independent leader's confrontational stance on the tricky issue of 'One China' policy is apparently the main reason behind Beijing's diplomatic tirade.

Post Trump's stunning victory in the US presidential election, China has been even more aggressive in its diplomatic mission against Taiwan. This is presumably in response to Trump's unexpected overtures towards the island country, which included an unprecedented move to accept a phone call from Taiwanese president.

This week, China dispatched several aircrafts and warships near Taiwanese water, before scoring a major diplomatic over the island nation after poaching one of its key African ally. Following the loss of key ally, the island nation is now left with barely 19-20 allies.

China now has called on the US to not allow Tsai to make a transit stopover in America during her Central American tour. However, as per the official itinerary, Tsai is not schedule to meet either Obama or Trump during her brief stopover.

Tsai would be visiting Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador in a week-long tour that will start on Jan.7.

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