Taiwan Taiwan President Calls for Peace and Dialogue with China Amid Increased Military Activity as he marks one year in office.
Taiwan’s president reiterated his calls for peace and dialogue with China amid escalating military tension and political discord within Taiwan.
Lai Ching-te, who assumed office a year ago, addressed reporters on Tuesday, stating that a war would yield “no winners,” while emphasizing that Taiwan will continue enhancing its defenses against potential Chinese aggression or attempts at forced annexation.
“It is the aggressor who undermines peace … Taiwan is a peace-loving nation, and our society values goodwill,” Lai remarked during a press conference following his formal address. “I am deeply committed to peace, because peace is priceless, and in war there are no winners.” hence calls to China to embrace peace.
“However, whilst our pursuit of peace is sincere, it must not be naive,” he added, urging Beijing to re-establish dialogue with Taiwan’s government on equal footing, advocating “using exchanges to replace hemming in, dialogue to replace confrontation.”
Relations between Taipei and Beijing have deteriorated significantly since Lai’s predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen, from the pro-sovereignty Democratic Progressive Party, won the election in 2016, leading the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to sever all ties and communications with Taiwan’s administration. The CCP regards the Democratic Progressive Party as separatists.
In reaction to Lai’s remarks, China’s state media, Xinhua, accused him of “deliberately escalating” tensions across the Taiwan Strait, claiming, “Since taking office, the Lai Ching-te administration has brazenly pursued ‘Taiwan independence’ to serve partisan and personal gain, charging headlong down a path of division and confrontation that threatens the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait.”
Recent weeks have seen an uptick in Chinese military activity, with an average of approximately 20 aircraft and 11 navy and coastguard vessels entering Taiwan’s air defense identification zone each day. Taiwanese officials have warned of possible Chinese countermeasures or pre-emptive actions following Lai’s speech. Last week, officials expressed concerns over potential military drills and indicated that Beijing might engage in “political warfare” to undermine public morale in Taiwan.
Analysts anticipated that Lai would adopt a more assertive stance against China’s aggression during his inauguration anniversary speech. Earlier this month, he likened Taiwan’s current situation to the threats faced by Europe in the 1930s. However, on Tuesday, his speech notably omitted direct references to China or its annexation ambitions. Those discussions only arose in response to subsequent questions at the press conference. Instead, Lai focused on domestic issues such as carbon emissions reduction, responses to the US Trump administration’s tariffs, and the political landscape in Taiwan.
“The trade de-escalation reached between Beijing and Washington has generated anxiety in Taipei over whether the issue of Taiwan may emerge in future US-China talks,” noted Amanda Hsiao, a director at Eurasia Group’s China practice. “This uncertainty may be a factor for why Lai chose not to reiterate his views on the China threat in a high-profile speech.”
In light of the growing domestic political turmoil, Lai announced his intention to provide national security briefings to the chair of the major opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT). The KMT, along with the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), holds the majority in Taiwan’s legislature and has been accused of obstructing Lai’s agenda.
Opposition parties allege that Lai and his Democratic Progressive Party are exacerbating tensions with China while suppressing dissent. In the name of national security, his administration has increased scrutiny of those with Chinese ties in Taiwan and imposed restrictions on public expressions that align with Beijing’s objectives.
The KMT welcomed the proposed security briefings, describing it as Lai’s “small step” toward reducing partisan conflict, while emphasizing that more efforts are needed to foster unity.
Taipei – As he marked one year in office, Taiwan’s president reiterated his calls for peace and dialogue with China amid escalating military tension and political discord within Taiwan.
Lai Ching-te, who assumed office a year ago, addressed reporters on Tuesday, stating that a war would yield “no winners,” while emphasizing that Taiwan will continue enhancing its defenses against potential Chinese aggression or attempts at forced annexation.
“It is the aggressor who undermines peace … Taiwan is a peace-loving nation, and our society values goodwill,” Lai remarked during a press conference following his formal address. “I am deeply committed to peace, because peace is priceless, and in war there are no winners.”
“However, whilst our pursuit of peace is sincere, it must not be naive,” he added, urging Beijing to re-establish dialogue with Taiwan’s government on equal footing, advocating “using exchanges to replace hemming in, dialogue to replace confrontation.”
Relations between Taipei and Beijing have deteriorated significantly since Lai’s predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen, from the pro-sovereignty Democratic Progressive Party, won the election in 2016, leading the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to sever all ties and communications with Taiwan’s administration. The CCP regards the Democratic Progressive Party as separatists.
In reaction to Lai’s remarks, China’s state media, Xinhua, accused him of “deliberately escalating” tensions across the Taiwan Strait, claiming, “Since taking office, the Lai Ching-te administration has brazenly pursued ‘Taiwan independence’ to serve partisan and personal gain, charging headlong down a path of division and confrontation that threatens the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait.”
Recent weeks have seen an uptick in Chinese military activity, with an average of approximately 20 aircraft and 11 navy and coastguard vessels entering Taiwan’s air defense identification zone each day. Taiwanese officials have warned of possible Chinese countermeasures or pre-emptive actions following Lai’s speech. Last week, officials expressed concerns over potential military drills and indicated that Beijing might engage in “political warfare” to undermine public morale in Taiwan.
Analysts anticipated that Lai would adopt a more assertive stance against China’s aggression during his inauguration anniversary speech. Earlier this month, he likened Taiwan’s current situation to the threats faced by Europe in the 1930s. However, on Tuesday, his speech notably omitted direct references to China or its annexation ambitions. Those discussions only arose in response to subsequent questions at the press conference. Instead, Lai focused on domestic issues such as carbon emissions reduction, responses to the US Trump administration’s tariffs, and the political landscape in Taiwan.
“The trade de-escalation reached between Beijing and Washington has generated anxiety in Taipei over whether the issue of Taiwan may emerge in future US-China talks,” noted Amanda Hsiao, a director at Eurasia Group’s China practice. “This uncertainty may be a factor for why Lai chose not to reiterate his views on the China threat in a high-profile speech.”
In light of the growing domestic political turmoil, Lai announced his intention to provide national security briefings to the chair of the major opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT). The KMT, along with the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), holds the majority in Taiwan’s legislature and has been accused of obstructing Lai’s agenda.
Opposition parties allege that Lai and his Democratic Progressive Party are exacerbating tensions with China while suppressing dissent. In the name of national security, his administration has increased scrutiny of those with Chinese ties in Taiwan and imposed restrictions on public expressions that align with Beijing’s objectives.
The KMT welcomed the proposed security briefings, describing it as Lai’s “small step” toward reducing partisan conflict, while emphasizing that more efforts are needed to foster unity.