Taiwan's Tsai Ing-wen seeks re-election in 2020

Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said Tuesday she is seeking re-election in 2020, according to CNN.

In an interview with the network, Tsai said Tuesday her objective is to "complete" her vision for Taiwan.

"It's natural that any sitting president wants to do more for the country and wants to finish things on his or her agenda," the Taiwanese leader said.

"It's again another challenge. Being president, you're not short of challenges. At good times you have challenges of one sort, and in bad times you have challenges of another sort."

Tsai's policies have often been at odds with an increasingly authoritarian China. Under its One China Policy, Beijing does not recognize Taiwanese sovereignty. Chinese President Xi Jinping has also caused controversy with calls for Taiwan to come to terms with "peaceful reunification."

Tsai responded in her New Year's address by telling the Chinese government to "face the reality of the existence" of Taiwan, and to "respect the commitment of the 23 million people of Taiwan to freedom and democracy."

Tsai's stand against Chinese criticism and increased Chinese military movements near the island may have made the public nervous. In 2018, her Democratic Progressive Party suffered losses during local elections, and Tsai resigned from the chair of the party.

China poses several risks to Taiwan, given geographical proximity and shared waterways.

Kyodo News reported China could damage submarine fiber cables and other communication infrastructure that connect Taiwan to the outside world.

Tzeng Yi-suo of Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research said Taipei should remain wary of potential cyber warfare with China.

China could go as far as shutting down Taiwan's Internet, according to the report.

"Especially for submarine cables relayed via Taiwan, if there is a malicious disconnection, not only will global data transmission be interrupted, but it raises the risk of data getting hacked," Tzeng said.