Table of Contents:
- President Lai’s Commitment to Taiwan’s Sovereignty
- Maintaining Peace and Stability across the Taiwan Strait
- China’s reaction to Lai’s Speech
- Historical Context and Taiwan’s Government
- China’s continued Criticism of Taiwan Independence
President Lai’s Commitment to Taiwan’s Sovereignty
In his most prominent public speech since assuming office earlier this year, President William Lai
vowed to maintain Taiwan’s status as a self-governing island. Lai declared that he would “uphold
the commitment to resist annexation or encroachment upon our sovereignty,” a hardly
concealed allusion to China’s claim to the island.
President Lai concurrently vowed to uphold “the status quo of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait” and committed to working with Beijing on matters pertaining to infectious disease prevention, climate change mitigation, and regional security. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
spokeswoman responded to Lai’s remarks by saying it “revealed his intransigent position” on
Taiwan independence.
Maintaining Peace and Stability across the Taiwan Strait
“The Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinates to each other,”
Lai said, referring to the governments of Taipei and Beijing, respectively. “On this land,
democracy and freedom are thriving.
The People’s Republic of China has no right to represent Taiwan,” he continued. Lai had earlier
assured guests that there would be “no surprises” in his national day address in an effort to
reassure them that he would not do anything further to agitate Beijing.
The disclaimer came after President Lai gave a number of remarks in recent months that some
people thought were inflammatory. Lev Nachman, a political scientist at National Taiwan
University, told the BBC that considering Thursday’s speech, “the speech was much softer and
less snarky than his recent speeches,” “It gives China far less ammunition to use against him.”
“Nevertheless,” he continued, “Beijing will still find many reasons to hate this speech.” In the
coming days, Mr. Nachman predicted a forceful response from Beijing in the shape of additional
military drills.
China’s reaction to Lai’s Speech
Spokesman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Lai “intransigent” on independence and
criticized his speech, citing his “sinister intention to escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait in
order to seek political gains.”
“No matter what the Lai Ching-te Administration says or does, it will not be able to change the objective fact that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to the same China, nor will it be able to stop the historical trend that China is bound to be reunified, and will be reunified eventually,” Mao Ning told reporters on Thursday, referencing Lai’s title.
Historical Context and Taiwan’s Government
Last week, Lai stated that since Taiwan’s government was established in 1911—decades before
the founding of China—it was “absolutely impossible” for China to be the “motherland” of
Taiwan. decades before mainland China’s current Communist government was established in 1949. Lai stated at a concert on Saturday to commemorate Taiwan’s National Day, “On the
contrary, the Republic of China may actually be the motherland of citizens of the People’s
Republic of China who are over 75 years old.”
The Republic of China, which was established on the Chinese mainland, has its constitution upheld by Taiwan. The Republic of China government retreated to Taiwan after losing a protracted civil war to the Communists in 1949, and it has been headquartered there ever since. Lai also contested China’s declaration last month that the territorial integrity of the island served as the foundation for its sovereignty.
He implied that if that were the true, Beijing would likewise be attempting to retake
other allegedly historic areas that were formerly under Chinese rule. During an interview to
commemorate his first 100 days in office, Lai stated, “If China wants to annex Taiwan, it’s not for
the sake of territorial integrity.”
Read More: https://www.inpactimes.com/world-arthritis-day-2024/
“If it is really for the sake of territorial integrity, why doesn’t China take back Russia?” Lai brought
up the Treaty of Aigun, which was signed in 1858 and saw China relinquish substantial portions
of Manchuria to Russia. The concession took place during the “century of humiliation,” as China
refers to it, when Japan and Western powers took advantage of the weaker Qing Dynasty.
China’s continued Criticism of Taiwan Independence
China’s response came on Wednesday, when it stated that President Lai was raising the tempo
with “sinister intentions”. The statement from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office stated, “Lai Ching-
te’s Taiwan independence fallacy is just old wine in a new bottle, and again exposes his obstinate
stance on Taiwan independence and his sinister intentions of escalating hostility and
confrontation.”
Following his victory in January, Lai took over as president of Taiwan, succeeding Tsai Ing-wen, a
fellow member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Many political watchers believe that Lai’s recent public remarks have gone further than those of his predecessor, who was far more
circumspect in her remarks.
Despite the more combative tone of his government, Lai has made a point of upholding the
“status quo” between Taiwan and China. He maintains that as Taiwan is already a sovereign
independent country that has never been under the People’s Republic of China’s authority, it
does not need to declare its independence. Lai also spoke extensively on domestic issues like
housing, energy, and climate change during her speech on Thursday.
