Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen gave credit to her people after she was named in Time magazine’s yearly list of 100 most influential people, saying it was “an honor that belongs to the whole country.”

“Our common efforts contained the epidemic and maintained regional stability, and repeatedly proved to the international community that Taiwan could help,” she wrote on Facebook on Wednesday. “The world has seen and recognized Taiwan.”

United States Senator Ted Cruz praised Tsai as a “signal lamp casting out China’s looming shadow,” able to keep her island free despite its proximity to mainland China.

“When cynics said Taiwan was too small and too isolated to stand up against China’s regional ambitions, President Tsai stood tall,” he wrote in an introduction to her in the magazine.

Cruz also praised Tsai for leading Taiwan to control the COVID-19 pandemic without resorting to drastic policies that limited personal freedom, like in mainland China.

Tsai is the third Taiwanese president to ever make the list, after her predecessors Chen Shui-bian and Ma Ying-jeou. This year, another Taiwanese so honored is Chi Chia-wei, a pioneering LGBTQ+ activist and campaigner of marriage equality on the island.

Bloomberg said in an article on Monday that it was “hard to find a world leader who’s had a better 2020” than Tsai, citing her success in fighting the pandemic and reducing Taiwan’s economic dependence on mainland China.

The Taiwanese government is trying to boost Tsai’s international profile by having her join this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting via video link, according to reports in local media.

Government spokesperson Kolas Yotaka said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was handling the arrangements and that details would be announced in due course.

It would be challenging for Tsai to attend the APEC Leaders' Meeting as the forum was heavily influenced by Beijing, one source told Apple Daily Taiwan.

Taiwan is a member economy of APEC, but is represented under the name “Chinese Taipei.” Its president is not allowed to appear in person; instead, Taiwan has traditionally appointed a special envoy to attend the meeting each year.

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