TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Thursday (April 6) rebuffed former President Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) claim the "Taiwan area" and "China area" are "all China," by saying that Taiwan and China are "not affiliated with each other."
On March 29, Tsai embarked on her trip to visit Central American diplomatic allies dubbed "Meeting Democratic Partners, Fostering Shared Prosperity," first transiting through New York before flying to Guatemala and Belize. On her return trip, she transited through Los Angeles, where she met with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday (April 5), holding a final press conference on Thursday (April 6) before flying back to Taiwan.
During the press briefing, a reporter asked Tsai about her opinion about Ma's visit to China and his claim when visiting Hunan University on April 2 that, "Our country is divided into two parts, one is the Taiwan area, the other is the China area, both are the Republic of China, and both are China." The reporter also asked how Tsai felt when she met her family members in the U.S.
Tsai responded with a wry smile, "You included the Ma Ying-jeou question with the one about my family," prompting people in the audience to chuckle. The president then first touched on her family members by saying that she was a little excited to see her relatives whom she had not seen for a long time.
However, due to their busy schedule, Tsai said that she was not able to have a proper get-together with her family. She hoped they would return to Taiwan in the near future and also reminded the overseas Taiwanese community in the U.S. to take the time to return to Taiwan to visit their relatives.
Regarding Ma's speech in China, Tsai said, "It is already 2023, and his statement would be something said in the 1970s." She pointed out that his comments are "somewhat different from the current environment."
Tsai said judging from the current situation, the "Republic of China and the People's Republic of China are not affiliated with each other, and it is a very clear fact that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are not affiliated with each other."
The president said the highest goal when dealing with cross-strait issues is to ensure a free and democratic way of life in Taiwan, as well as the rights of Taiwanese, and do everything possible to maintain peace and stability.