Taiwan's first female president walks tightrope as she takes office 台灣第一位女總統就職就是走鋼索的開始

Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan's first female president, was sworn into office Friday, facing two very different sets of expectations -- from those who voted for her and a Chinese leadership that wants the island on a tight leash.

台灣第一位女總統—蔡英文在星期五時宣布就職，她目前正面對著兩個極為不同的期望，一面是投給她的選民所寄與她的期待，另一面則是希望能夠嚴密控制台灣的中國領導人。

Although she was given a strong mandate in the January elections, with her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) gaining control of the executive and legislative branches of government, a souring relationship with Beijing could undermine her ability to accomplish what she has set out to do at home.

雖然她在一月選舉時取得大勝，民進黨就獲得了行政部門和立法部門的控制權，與北京之間的關係惡化可能會破壞她決心要在台灣做的計劃。

Who is Tsai Ing-wen?蔡英文是誰？

In her inauguration speech, Tsai struck a measured tone, attempting to reassure Taiwan's people and the international community that she can handle the island's complicated relationship with China.

在就職演說時，蔡英文用一個慎重的語氣，試著要再度向台灣人民和國際社會保證她能夠處理台灣與中國複雜的關係。

She said she wouldn't dismantle any of the existing channels for communication between the two and vowed that Taiwan would be a "staunch guardian of peace."

她表示她不會廢棄任何中台之間現存的溝通管道，並且宣誓台灣將會是「和平的堅定守護者」。

"We will work to maintain peace and stability in cross-strait relations," she said.

Her address ended with choirs singing "Ilha Formosa" a poetic song that became an anthem for pro-democracy groups in Taiwan.

蔡英文說：「我們將會努力維持兩岸關係的和平與穩定。」合唱團演唱《島嶼天光》這首充滿詩意的歌作為他演講的結束，這首歌已經成為台灣支持民主的團體的代表歌曲。

'Incomplete answer'「不完整的答案」

China criticized Tsai's speech, calling it "vague" and "an incomplete answer sheet," in a statement issued by the Taiwan Affairs Office.

國台辦的聲明中表示，中國批評蔡英文的演說並說她的演說採取模糊態度而且沒有給予完整的答案。

"She didn't come up with specific ways to ensure peaceful and stable development of the cross-strait relations," the statement said.

"She was vague on the nature of cross-strait relations that concerns people on both sides the most."

在聲明中寫道：「她沒有提出確保兩岸關係和平發展的具體方式，她在兩岸人民最在乎的兩岸關係上採取模糊的態度。」

In April, Taiwan accused China of carrying out "gross violation of basic human rights" after 45 Taiwanese were deported from Kenya to mainland China.

They were then paraded on Chinese state TV confessing to crimes they had been acquitted for in Kenya.

四月，在45名台灣人被肯亞驅逐出境送往中國之後，台灣指控中國嚴重違反基本人權，他們接下來出現在中國電視台上承認他們自己在肯亞已經被判無罪的罪行。

"It seems clear that China is pressuring the Tsai administration even before it has formally come to office," says Bruce Jacobs, a Taiwan specialist at Monash University in Australia before the inauguration.

澳洲蒙納士大學的台灣研究室主任Bruce Jacobs在就職典禮前表示：「很明顯地在中國在蔡政府正式上任前就已經在他們施加壓力。」

Bitter history 苦澀的歷史

China and Taiwan -- officially the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China -- have been governed separately since 1949, following a Communist victory in China's civil war that forced the nationalists to flee to Taiwan.

中國與台灣—正式名稱為中華人民共和國和中華民國—從1949年開始就分開治理，共產黨在中國內戰中取得勝利迫使當時的國民政府逃到台灣。

Taiwan's free-wheeling democracy a sharp contrast to China's one-party state. However, a shared cultural and linguistic heritage mostly endures -- with Mandarin Chinese spoken as the official language in both places.

台灣隨心所欲的民主跟中國的一黨執政形成強烈的對比，然而，大部分共有的文化和語言傳承因為兩地皆以中文設為其官方語言而保留了下來。

Tsai's DPP has traditionally leaned in favor of independence for the island. That could anger Beijing, which views Taiwan as an integral part of its territory that is to be taken by force if necessary.

蔡英文的民進黨一向傾向支持台灣獨立，這可能會激怒將台灣是為自己領土的一部份的北京，如果有必要將會以武力奪回的領土。

"Taiwan independence remains the biggest to peace across the Taiwan Strait," the Taiwan Affairs Office said.

國台辦表示：「台灣獨立一直是台灣海峽間和平最大的威脅。」

Should "Taiwan independence" be attempted, there would be no peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, it warned.

國台辦警告，萬一試圖要讓台灣獨立，台灣海峽將不再有和平與穩定。

Tsai, a soft-spoken U.S. and UK-educated lawyer, is viewed as a pragmatic leader but will have her work cut out balancing the interests of China, which is the island's biggest trading partner, the United States, its key ally, and the diverse demands of the island's 23 million residents.

講話溫和，曾經在美國和英國受過教育的律師蔡英文，被視為一位務實的領導人，而她的努力能在台灣最大的貿易夥伴－中國及主要同盟國－美國與島上兩千三百萬人民分歧的需求（三者）之間取得平衡的收支嗎。

In particular, a younger generation fears a future under the influence of Beijing and doesn't want Taiwan to become another Chinese territory.

尤其是年輕一代害怕受到北京的影響，不希望台灣成為中國另一塊領土。

"I don't think cross-strait relations are going to get any better in the near future," says Lin Fei-fan, a leader of the Sunflower Movement, when students stormed and occupied Taiwan's Legislature and Cabinet building in 2014.

"However, I have always believed that the key to peaceful co-existence doesn't lie with Taiwan, but rather with the Chinese Communist Party."

2014年學生們攻佔台灣立法院的太陽花學運領導者林飛凡表示：「我不認為近期的未來兩岸的關係會有所改善，然而，我一直認為和平共存的關鍵不在台灣，而是在中國共產黨。」

Domestic challenges 國內的挑戰

At home, Tsai will have to focus on how she will revive a moribund economy -- a key concern of many of her supporters.

在國內，蔡英文將會將重心放在復蘇的停滯不前的經濟，這也是她的支持最關心的地方。

In her inauguration speech, she outlined a policy that would focus on trade with south and southeast Asia, gradually diluting Taiwan's reliance on China's economy -- especially as the giant's economic engine slows.

在她的就職演說裡，她大概講述了一下會將重點放在南亞和東南亞之間交易的政策，進而逐漸減少台灣對大陸經濟的依賴，特別是這個巨大經濟引擎慢下來的時候。

A challenge will be to maintain cordial relations with a vibrant—and skeptical—civil society while implementing economic policies that will inevitably create losers in some segments of society.

維持與充滿生氣同時又充滿疑問的民權社會的真誠關係，同時要實行一定會導致社會某部分的人受到損失的經濟政策，將會是一個挑戰。

Tsai and her premier, Lin Chuan, have attracted criticism for forming an old, technocratic and male-dominated Cabinet, which has attracted heavy criticism from a society that expects change. Tsai has played it safe—too safe, many would argue.

蔡英文和她推任的行政院長林全，因為組成了一個年紀偏老、技術性官僚且以男性為主的內閣而引來批評，受到希望有所改變的社會的嚴厲批評，蔡英文行事謹慎，很多人認為太謹慎了。

With the strength of her mandate, Tsai could seize the opportunity to make Taiwan the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex unions, a move that, though opposed by a very vocal, and primarily Christian, minority, should finally be attainable after years of stalled efforts.

蔡英文可以把握這次選民們對她強力支持的機會，來讓台灣成為亞洲第一個合法化同性婚姻的國家，雖然這樣的舉動主要受到直言的基督徒、少數族群的反對，終於在多年停滯不前的努力後最終有可能實現了。

For Mr Wu, a bicycle repairman in Taipei, relations with Beijing are barely worth a mention.

在臺北擔任腳踏車修理師的吳先生來說，他根本不在意台灣與北京之間的關係。

"She needs to fix our economy," he insists. "It's been bad."

他堅決地表示：「她需要改變我們的經濟，目前我們經濟一直很差。」

原文網址：http://goo.gl/Ihu601