In 'single' blow, Taiwan prez called 'extreme'

Tsai Ing-wen.

Beijing: In less than a week, Tsai Ing-wen went from being sworn-in as Taiwan's first female president to being labeled "extreme" by a news agency for China's Communist Party in large part because she's not married.

Tsai Ing-wen. File Pic/GettyImages

The Xinhua-run International Herald Leader ran an opinion piece accusing Tsai of having an "erratic style," as per the BBC, and a radical platform that could threaten China's hold on Taiwan. "As a single female politician, she does not have the emotional burden of love, of ‘family' or of children," read the piece, penned by Wang Weixing, a Chinese official who handles Taiwanese matters. "So her political style and strategy tend to be emotional, [personalized], and extreme."

He also called Tsai "two-faced" and noted she's "a complicated person who grew up in the twisted Taiwanese society and political environment".

Chinese state media often publishes nationalistic commentaries touting Beijing's sovereignty cover Taiwan, but a misogynistic approach is rare. Xinhua posted Wang's article on its website, but later deleted it.