China’s ambition to annex Taiwan is based on a desire to change the rules-based international order, rather than a desire for territorial gains, President William Lai (賴清德) said in an interview.
During an appearance on the talk show The View With Catherine Chang, aired last night, Lai said China aimed to achieve hegemony, and that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait was an issue of worldwide concern.
During the interview, Lai also discussed his “four-pillar plan” for peace and prosperity, which he first outlined in an article published by the Wall Street Journal on July 4 last year. That plan includes bolstering Taiwan’s military deterrence, treating economic security as national security, developing partnerships with other democracies, and maintaining steady and principled leadership on cross-strait issues.
Photo: Screengrab from CH50’s YouTube channel
Lai cited recent expressions of support for Taiwan from the international community, including those from Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, US President Joe Biden, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the leaders of some EU countries, as well as statements made during the G7 summit in June.
Those statements all said that “maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is indispensable to international security and prosperity,” Lai said, adding that they illustrated the need for Taiwan to “stand united with the international democratic camp.”
On the issue of economic resilience, Lai said that only 11.4 percent of Taiwan’s overseas investments last year were in China, down significantly from 83.8 percent in 2010.
Taiwanese businesses are dispersing those investments elsewhere including Japan, the US, Europe and Southeast Asia, he said.
Commenting on regional security alliances, Lai cited the establishment of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, the AUKUS security partnership, the Five Eyes alliance and the US-Japan-Philippines summit, which he said showed that democracies are cooperating near the Taiwan Strait.
Responding to rumors that Washington was concerned about Lai lacking diplomatic experience, and that it did not want him to transit through the continental US, Lai denied them and said that he did not have any plans to visit the US in the immediate future.
A White House official also dispelled rumors about US concerns about Lai’s administration during a news conference on Aug. 23.
“Everything that we have seen come out of Taipei indicates that the current leadership remains committed to maintaining status quo, and peace and stability,” the official said.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday inaugurated the Danjiang Bridge across the Tamsui River in New Taipei City, saying that the structure would be an architectural icon and traffic artery for Taiwan. Feted as a major engineering achievement, the Danjiang Bridge is 920m long, 211m tall at the top of its pylon, and is the longest single-pylon asymmetric cable-stayed bridge in the world, the government’s Web site for the structure said. It was designed by late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid. The structure, with a maximum deck of 70m, accommodates road and light rail traffic, and affords a 200m navigation channel for boats,
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