President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday said that China has “no right to represent Taiwan,” but stressed that the nation was willing to work with Beijing on issues of mutual interest.
“The Republic of China has already put down roots in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu,” Lai said in his first Double Ten National Day address outside the Presidential Office Building in Taipei. “And the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China [PRC] are not subordinate to each other.”
“The People’s Republic of China has no right to represent Taiwan,” he said at the event marking the 113th National Day of the Republic of China, adding that his “mission” as president was to “ensure that our nation endures and progresses” and “resist annexation or encroachment upon our sovereignty.”
Photo: CNA
The president’s comments in front of opposition party leaders, foreign delegates and other assembled guests were in line with his inaugural speech in May, which prompted Beijing to launch large-scale military drills around Taiwan as “punishment” for so-called “separatist acts.”
However, unlike in previous remarks in which he criticized Beijing for engaging in “gray zone” activities and cognitive warfare against Taiwan, Lai’s speech did not touch upon these points.
While warning against the “expanding authoritarianism” that is “threatening our hard-won free and democratic way of life,” Lai said his administration was “willing to work with China on addressing climate change, combating infectious diseases and maintaining regional security.”
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
He also expressed hope for “healthy and orderly dialogue and exchanges” across the Taiwan Strait based on the principles of “parity and dignity.”
At the same time, the president reiterated the government’s commitment to defend “national sovereignty” and “maintain the status quo of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait” through his “four pillars of peace” plan.
The plan, first proposed by Lai while he was running for president, emphasizes the importance of Taiwan’s defensive strength, economic security, partnerships with other democracies and a consistent cross-strait policy.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Lai also called on the PRC to “live up to the expectations of the international community” by playing a bigger role toward ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East.
“We hope that it will take up its international responsibilities and, along with Taiwan, contribute to the peace, security and prosperity of the region and the globe,” Lai said.
The international community has “assisted” the PRC in joining the WTO, which resulted in “promoting China’s economic development and enhancing its national strength,” he said.
Photo: An Rong Xu, Bloomberg
“This was done out of the hope that China would join the rest of the world in making global contributions, that internally it would place importance on the livelihoods of the people and that externally it would maintain peace,” Lai said.
The PRC is facing growing pressure from Western countries over its ties to Russia and allegations it is aiding Moscow’s war efforts in Ukraine by providing dual-use goods that can have military applications.
Beijing denies this and says the West instead is fueling the conflict by supplying arms to Ukraine.
Photo: An Rong Xu, Bloomberg
Lai, whose Democratic Progressive Party won an unprecedented third consecutive presidential term while losing a majority to the opposition in the legislature in January’s elections, also called for unity among Taiwanese across party lines.
“Our nation must become more united, and our society must grow more stable,” he said.
In Beijing, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning (毛寧) said Lai was “hell-bent” on independence.
Lai’s speech “exposed his hell-bent position on Taiwan independence and his sinister intention to escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait for political self-interest,” Mao told a regular news briefing.
“Taiwan has never been a country and can never become one, so it does not have any so-called ‘sovereignty,’” Mao said.
She added that Lai’s comments “arbitrarily severed the historical connection between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait” and used “all manner of tactics to peddle the fantasy of Taiwan independence.”
Officials in Taipei have said that Beijing is likely to follow Lai’s speech with military drills, which Washington has called unjustified.
“Even though we have not seen significant military activity or exercises following previous 10/10 speeches, we are prepared that Beijing may choose to use this as a pretext this year,” a senior US official said on Wednesday.
“Again, we see no justification for a routine annual celebration to be used in this manner. Coercive actions like this against Taiwan and in the cross-strait context, in our view, undermine cross-strait stability,” the official said.
In the 24 hours ending at 6am yesterday, the Ministry of National Defense reported 27 Chinese People’s Liberation Army aircraft, nine naval vessels and five official ships operating around Taiwan.
Fifteen of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait into Taiwan’s northern, central and southwestern air defense identification zone, it said, adding that the military “monitored the situation and responded.”
Additional reporting by AFP and Reuters
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
TAIWAN IS TAIWAN: US Representative Tom Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as ‘Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China’ The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC. The act includes US$831.5 billion in
RSS