Tsai Ing-wen with Xiang Xiang (Photo : Facebook/Tsai Ing-wen)
New Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen announced on Thursday that she would take in three retired guide dog. However, she immediately dismissed media speculation that having K-9 in the presidential house would not sit well with her two pet cats.
A known cat-lover, the unmarried president used pets Xiang Xiang and Ah Tsai on her campaign videos. The two animals also generate a lot of “likes,” 50 percent higher, compared to Tsai Ing-wen’s political posts on her Facebook page, reported The South China Morning Post.
Although “the three dogs are very well trained and they can definitely get along with the cats,” the president admitted that Xiang Xiang is fierce and could have some issues with the arrival of new animal species in their household.
Previous Taiwanese presidents had pets too in the president’s residence. Ma Ying-jeou, whom she succeeded, had a dog named Ma Hsiao-jeou, while a former first lady, Wu Shu-chen – wife of Chen Shui-bian whom Ma Ying-jeou replaced – also had a dog named Honey. The white Maltese even appeared in public with the first lady.
But while the new president assured there would be harmony within her pets, it might not be the case for Taiwan’s relationship with mainland China which is determined not to recognize Taiwan as an independent nation but a province of the Asian giant.
Zhang Zhijun, head of the Taiwan Affairs Office, met with Taiwanese business representatives in Beijing whom he reminded that anything that would go against the “one China” principle would create tension and upheaval. Beijing had previously warned Tsai Ing-wen that if her pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party would fail to recognize the principle, there would be negative consequences for Taipei, reported Shanghaidaily.
