President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan has written to Pope Francis to complain about Chinese pressure on the island that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claims is part of China.
President Tsai who won re-election by a landslide this month on a platform of standing up to Beijing, says China is seeking to threaten Taiwan’s democracy and freedom. Taiwan hopes for a peaceful resolution of its differences with China, Tsai wrote in her letter, released by the presidential office on Tuesday, in response to a message from Pope Francis for the World Day of Peace on 1 January.
“However, at present dialogue across the Taiwan Strait is filled with difficulties,” she wrote. “The main sticking point is that China has so far been unwilling to let go of its desire to control Taiwan.”
She added, “It continues to threaten Taiwan’s democratic freedoms and human rights by threatening to use force against Taiwan, fake news, cyber attacks, and diplomatic means.”
But despite China’s “severe suppression”, Taiwan is moving forward, cooperating with friendly and similar-minded countries, so that other democracies recognise it as the best partner for maintaining peace and stability, she added.
She said: “It was with profound admiration that I read your message for the 2020 World Day of Peace entitled ‘Peace as a Journey of Hope: Dialogue, Reconciliation and Ecological Conversion.’ I strongly identify with Your Holiness's magnanimous vision and appeal to all of humanity to renounce the desire to dominate others, show mutual respect, and learn to see one another as sons and daughters of God and as brothers and sisters, so as to break the spiral of vengeance.
“Many of the international conflicts today can be attributed to the desire to dominate others. When one party tries to impose its will on another, genuine dialogue becomes impossible. Communication must be open, allowing all parties to freely and honestly express their views, seek common ground amid differences, foster mutual understanding, build consensus, and gradually move toward reconciliation.
“We have always concurred with Your Holiness's peace ideals, and hope to peacefully resolve the differences across the Taiwan Strait. However, formidable challenges stand in the way of cross-strait dialogue. The crux of the issue is that China refuses to relinquish its desire to dominate Taiwan. It continues to undermine Taiwan's democracy, freedom, and human rights with threats of military force and the implementation of disinformation campaigns, cyberattacks, and diplomatic maneuvers. Nevertheless, despite China's harsh suppression of Taiwan in the international arena, Taiwan has forged ahead courageously, working in cooperation with diplomatic allies and like-minded countries to draw the attention of democracies worldwide to the fact that Taiwan is an optimal partner for maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.”
The Vatican is one of just 15 countries that has diplomatic ties with Taiwan and the only one in Europe. But Taiwan has been concerned by the Vatican’s moves to normalise ties with China, especially after a landmark 2018 pact on appointing bishops, and is concerned that the incoming Biden administration will be more sympathetic to the CCP than the Trump administration.
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