Facing Pressure from Beijing, Taiwan President Pledges to ‘Stride’ Into the World

Read MoreTAIPEI—Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen thanked democratic nations for their support of the island in her Lunar New Year message on Sunday and pledged to “stride out” into the world, sounding a defiant note in the face of unrelenting pressure from Beijing. China’s ruling Chinese Communist Party, which claims the democratically-ruled island as part of its territory, has increased military activity around Taiwan over the past two years and stepped up efforts to limit its international role, lambasting those who have sought to support Taipei or strengthen ties with it. In a short pre-recorded video message a day before the eve of Lunar New Year on Monday, the formal start of the most important holiday in the Chinese-speaking world, Tsai expressed appreciation for growing international support for Taiwan. “I want to especially thank all democratic partners for their support to Taiwan over the past year,” she said. “We will continue to …