Taiwan’s New President Has Called On China To Stop Threatening Taiwan As They "Don’t Belong To Each Other"
In his first speech after being inaugurated, Taiwan’s new president William Lai has called on China to stop threatening Taiwan.
In his first speech after being inaugurated, Taiwan’s new president William Lai has called on China to stop threatening Taiwan.
The 64-year-old, who served as the vice president under Taiwan’s first woman president Tsai Ing-wen, was elected in January, making their party, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the first party to win three consecutive terms in Taiwan’s history.
In his inauguration on Monday May 20, Lai began by thanking Tsai for paving the way for the past eight years.
“When I was young, I aspired to become a doctor and save lives,” Lai said. “When I entered politics, I aspired to change Taiwan. Now, standing here, I aspire to strengthen our nation.”
He called on China to stop its “cognitive warfare and military intimidation against Taiwan and play its role in maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the region and ensuring that the world is free from the fear of war.
He added that he hopes China recognizes the existence of the Republic of China – Taiwan’s formal name – and the Taiwanese people, and replace confrontation with dialogue, and containment with communication.
Lai concluded his speech by inviting Taiwanese people to join together in protecting Taiwan and making it internationally-revered and great.
Lai’s inauguration comes as China – which called him a “destroyer of peace” – has increased both political and military pressure on Taiwan over recent months.
Since the last election in 2020, Chinese president Xi Jinping also said that he intended to peacefully seize Taiwan — which China claims as its territory — but would not rule out the use of force.
In response to Lai’s speech, the Chinese government said that “Taiwan independence is a dead end,” the BBC reported.
“Regardless of the pretext or the banner under which it is pursued, the push for Taiwan independence is destined to fail,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Monday afternoon.
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