TAIPEI: Taiwan saw off China’s military six decades ago when its forces bombarded just offshore Taiwanese islands which resolve to defend the homeland continues to this very day, President Tsai Ing-wen told a visiting group of US teachers on Tuesday (Aug 23).
Tensions between Taiwan and China have spiked over the past 30 days following the visit to Taipei by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi . China staged war video games near Taiwan to express its anger at what it saw as stepped up US assistance for the island Beijing views as sovereign Chinese territory.
Meeting the delegation from Stanford University’s Hoover Institution from her office, Tsai referenced China’s 30 days of attacks in the Taiwan-controlled islands of Kinmen and Matsu that sit off just off the Chinese language coast which were only available in August 1958.
“Sixty-four years ago throughout the Aug 23 battle, our soldiers and civilians operated in solidarity and safeguarded Taiwan, so that we now have the democratic Taiwan today, ” the girl said, using the typical Taiwanese term for that campaign, which finished in stalemate along with China failing to consider the islands.
“That battle to protect our homeland showed the planet that no threat of any kind can shake the Taiwanese people’s resolve to defend their nation, not really in the past, not at this point, and not in the future, inch Tsai added.
“We too will show the world how the people of Taiwan have both the solve and confidence to guard peace, security, independence and prosperity just for ourselves. ”