President Tsai urges China to engage Taiwan based on ‘Four Musts’

President Tsai Ing-wen addressed the nation today at the Presidential Office in what was her first New Year’s speech since taking office in 2016. Her remarks centered on cross-strait relations. For the first time, President Tsai spelled out the “Four Musts,” which are the four things China must do in order to engage positively with Taiwan. On the first day of 2019, President Tsai Ing-wen delivered an address focusing on cross-strait relations.Tsai Ing-wenPresidentHealthy and normal cross-strait relations cannot be achieved by relying on ambiguously phrased political preconditions. Instead, it requires a practical understanding of the fundamental differences in their values, ways of life, and political systems. We are not opposed to normal cross-strait interactions. And we certainly are not opposed to city-to-city interactions between our two sides. But if there is no sincere cooperation even on issues like epidemic prevention, then how can the two sides of the strait be one family?Last year during her National Day speech, the president had proposed the so-called “Four Won’ts” in cross-strait relations, vowing that she “would not revert to the old path of confrontation” and “would not bow to pressure.” This time, President Tsai proposed the “Four Musts.”Tsai Ing-wenPresidentChina must face up to the existence of the Republic of China, Taiwan. China must respect the democracy that the 23 million Taiwanese insist upon. It must resolve cross-strait differences in a peaceful and equitable manner. And it must sit down with the government of Taiwan or an institution with a mandate from the government. These are the “Four Musts” that form the basis of positive development in cross-strait relations.During the address, President Tsai outlined her aspirations for the New Year.Tsai Ing-wenPresidentThis new year will be a year of fighting for the people’s livelihoods. It will be a year of protecting democracy. It will be a year of defending our sovereignty, of proposing economic policies that bring a tangible improvement to the people’s lives. I will create three mechanisms to protect the livelihoods, information security, and democracy of Taiwan. This will be the work that I do every single day in 2019.Following the DPP’s defeat in the local elections, President Tsai has sought opportunities to communicate with the public. Going into 2019, the performance of her administration will prove decisive to her chances at re-election in 2020.