"Based on many years of experience in cross-strait negotiations during my political career, I am convinced that military action cannot resolve problems… As Your Holiness states in the Message for the World Day of Peace, women are often leaders of nonviolent action. As the first female president in the ethnic Chinese world, I aspire to live up to your words as I devote myself to enhancing the wellbeing of the Taiwanese people and creating a new era for cross-strait peace," Tsai said in a letter sent to the Pope on January 5 and published by her office earlier in the day.
After Chinese Nationalist forces were defeated by Mao Zedong’s Communists, the Nationalist government moved to Taiwan in 1949. Since then, Beijing has viewed the self-ruled, democratic island as a breakaway province.
Despite the fact that many countries, do not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation and stick officially to the "One China" position, the Vatican City maintains full diplomatic relations with Taipei.
