Taiwan's newly inaugurated, first female president is "extreme," "emotional" and "complicated" -- because she's single. At least that's what China says.
"As a single female politician, she lacks the emotional drag of love, the pull of the 'home,' and no children to care for," Chinese state newspaper Xinhua noted about 59-year-old Tsai Ing-wen in an article posted Tuesday. "She leans toward an emotional, personal and extreme development of her political ruling style and strategies."
"Her political maneuvering focuses more on tactical details than strategic directions," the outlet continued. "She puts extreme emphasis on short-term targets and takes long-term goals less into account."
Amid a barrage of criticism on social media, the piece has since been removed from the Internet, but a cached version of the article is still available here. Discussion boards on Weibo, a popular Chinese microblogging site, over the topic also appear to have been scrubbed. China often censors online material that may be politically sensitive.
China and Taiwan have had historically strained relations. Taiwan and China have been governed separately for over 60 years, but China still regards the island as part of its territory. (China's full name is the People's Republic of China, while Taiwan is officially called the Republic of China.)
In 1992, representatives from Taiwan and China signed an agreement stating that there is only "one China," but both sides interpret the clause differently.
Tsai, who is a member of the traditionally pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, is thus a particularly controversial figure in China's eyes. In her inaugural address, she referred to Taiwan as a country 24 times. China called Tsai's speech an "incomplete test answer" and threatened to suspend regular talks with Taiwan until she acknowledged the "one China" principle.
China-Taiwan tensions date back to 1949, when Chiang Kai-shek's Chinese Nationalist Party fled the mainland to Taiwan amid a civil war to escape the Communist Party, which remains in power today.
In this 2015 video, Tsai and one of her cats wish her Facebook followers a happy Lunar New Year.
Women in China are often under immense pressure to marry at an early age. Unmarried women in their late 20s or over are often stigmatized within their family and in larger society, and are often labeled sheng nu, a derogative term that stands for "leftover women."
Taiwan's new president appears to be immune to this criticism, however. In a 2012 Facebook post, Tsai noted that her singledom prevents her from "fighting a double war" between her work in politics and household duties.
Neither Tsai nor the Chinese government has released an official statement in response to the incident.
CLARIFICATION: This post has been updated to clarify the Taiwan's relationship with China.
