“Taiwan’s first female president has been sworn into office, vowing to use her position
“Taiwan’s first female president has been sworn into office, vowing to use her position as the most powerful woman in the Chinese-speaking world to promote democracy and freedom in a speech likely to incur the wrath of Beijing.Four months after winning a historic landslide election, Tsai Ing-wen, from the Democratic Progressive party (DPP), formally took up her post on Friday morning.In a 25-minute inaugural speech she told thousands of supporters that the self-ruled island faced ‘a multitude of challenges’ but pledged to fight for social injustice and to improve the lives of Taiwan’s youth. In a move likely to infuriate Beijing – which still views Taiwan as part of its territory – she also repeatedly referred to the self-reliant island as a ‘country’ and refused to embrace the idea that Taiwan and mainland China were part of ‘one China’.”For more, see Tom Phillips, “Taiwan’s New President Tsai Ing-wen Vows to Reduce Dependence on Beijing,” The Guardian (20 May 2016)Image: Chiang Ying-ying/AP -- source link
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