Peace in the Taiwan Strait benefits the whole world and the international community believes that without it, there can be neither prosperity nor security, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday.
China has ramped up its pressure against Lai, whom it views as a “separatist,” and staged two days of war games around Taiwan after he took office last month.
Speaking to new recruits at an army base in Taichung, Lai said that every drop of their sweat was to protect Taiwan’s national security.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
“The international community believes these days that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is a necessary component for global security and prosperity,” he said. “No matter whether it’s the United States, Japan, South Korea or the European Union, and the heads of state or prime ministers of many nations, they all agree on this point, opposing any country using force to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.”
“Our efforts are all for the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait, for Taiwan’s security, and our democratic, free system and continued economic development,” he said. “Peace in the Taiwan Strait benefits global peace.”
Taiwan’s annual Han Kuang military drills are scheduled for next month and this year are to be as close as possible to actual combat.
Over the past week, Taiwan has reported detecting 203 Chinese military aircraft operating nearby, getting as close as 31 nautical miles (57km) to Taiwan proper, Ministry of National Defense data showed.
China last week threatened to prosecute those deemed “diehard” supporters of Taiwanese independence and execute people in the most serious cases, prompting Taipei to warn Taiwanese to avoid the country.
Lai has rejected Beijing’s sovereignty claims and has said only Taiwanese can decide their future.
Rainfall is expected to become more widespread and persistent across central and southern Taiwan over the next few days, with the effects of the weather patterns becoming most prominent between last night and tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Independent meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said that based on the latest forecast models of the combination of a low-pressure system and southwesterly winds, rainfall and flooding are expected to continue in central and southern Taiwan from today to Sunday. The CWA also warned of flash floods, thunder and lightning, and strong gusts in these areas, as well as landslides and fallen
WAITING GAME: The US has so far only offered a ‘best rate tariff,’ which officials assume is about 15 percent, the same as Japan, a person familiar with the matter said Taiwan and the US have completed “technical consultations” regarding tariffs and a finalized rate is expected to be released soon, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference yesterday, as a 90-day pause on US President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs is set to expire today. The two countries have reached a “certain degree of consensus” on issues such as tariffs, nontariff trade barriers, trade facilitation, supply chain resilience and economic security, Lee said. They also discussed opportunities for cooperation, investment and procurement, she said. A joint statement is still being negotiated and would be released once the US government has made
MASSIVE LOSS: If the next recall votes also fail, it would signal that the administration of President William Lai would continue to face strong resistance within the legislature The results of recall votes yesterday dealt a blow to the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) efforts to overturn the opposition-controlled legislature, as all 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers survived the recall bids. Backed by President William Lai’s (賴清德) DPP, civic groups led the recall drive, seeking to remove 31 out of 39 KMT lawmakers from the 113-seat legislature, in which the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) together hold a majority with 62 seats, while the DPP holds 51 seats. The scale of the recall elections was unprecedented, with another seven KMT lawmakers facing similar votes on Aug. 23. For a
SOUTH CHINA SEA? The Philippine president spoke of adding more classrooms and power plants, while skipping tensions with China over disputed areas Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday blasted “useless and crumbling” flood control projects in a state of the nation address that focused on domestic issues after a months-long feud with his vice president. Addressing a joint session of congress after days of rain that left at least 31 dead, Marcos repeated his recent warning that the nation faced a climate change-driven “new normal,” while pledging to investigate publicly funded projects that had failed. “Let’s not pretend, the people know that these projects can breed corruption. Kickbacks ... for the boys,” he said, citing houses that were “swept away” by the floods. “Someone has
RSS