Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-wen urged to stand aside by hardline pro-independence faction
- Senior party activists want Tsai to drop plans for second term as president and take a back seat role for the rest of this one
- Current situation is severe for Democratic Progressive Party, according to open letter
Taiwan’s hard core pro-independence camp has warned the self-ruled island is facing an “imminent crisis” and called on President Tsai Ing-wen to drop her ambitions for a second term and take a back seat role for the rest of her government’s time in office.
Four senior figures from the hardline faction of Tsai’s pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) endorsed an open letter, published on Thursday in several local newspapers, which warned of a party split if she insisted on standing again.
The four signatories – Peng Ming-mun, Wu Li-pei, Lee Yuan-tseh and Kao Chun-ming – are veteran pro-independence activists whose faction within the DPP has long shown its displeasure with Tsai for her relatively soft position on independence.
The incendiary letter was published a day after Chinese President Xi Jinping said it was time for Beijing and Taipei to start talks on unification and the adoption of “one country, two systems” in Taiwan, a stance which was roundly rejected by Tsai.
Xi urges Taiwan to follow Hong Kong model for unification
In what analysts said was clear evidence the two leaders were now playing a zero-sum game, Tsai said Taiwan would not accept the “one country, two systems” model and that it was opposed by majority opinion. She also said no individuals or parties could represent the government in talks with the mainland.