President William Lai (賴清德) is not being provocative by “standing firm” on Taiwan’s self-defense, and labeling his actions as such absolves China of responsibility, Presidential Office spokesman Lii Wen (李問) wrote in an opinion piece for the Washington Times published on Sunday.
“Standing firm on Taiwan’s self-defense against Beijing’s stated objective of annexation is not an act of provocation,” Lii said ahead of the anniversary of Lai’s first year in office on Tuesday.
China’s narrative that Taiwan’s defensive measures are escalatory is “misleading,” given Taiwan’s commitment to regional peace and China’s unprovoked aggressions, Lii wrote.
Photo courtesy of a reader via the Liberty Times
“Taiwan’s long-standing policy is to uphold the cross-strait status quo,” he said.
Lii defended Lai’s 17 strategies to combat Chinese espionage attempts, saying that they are “necessary institutional reforms” that do not touch on Taiwan’s international status.
For example, identifying China as a “foreign hostile force” is “hardly unprecedented,” he said.
“Many proposed reforms have been spurred by multiple espionage cases in Taiwan’s military and government,” Lii said, adding that since 2021, the number of prosecutions for espionage cases has tripled, and a majority of investigations center on active-duty or retired military personnel.
The incidents “highlight the need for Taiwan to engage in serious reflections about the shortcomings of its existing institutions,” with help from international partners, Lii said.
He called on the international community to avoid blaming Taiwan or saying the nation is “pushing the envelope,” adding that this mirrors “Beijing’s talking points.”
“Taiwan is committed to being a responsible stakeholder in the region ... neither engaging in provocations nor bowing to pressure,” he said.
Lai has reaffirmed the cross-strait “status quo,” made clear references to the Republic of China (Taiwan) and expressed a willingness to engage in cross-strait dialogue, Lii said.
“On the other hand, Beijing’s military provocations have not been limited to the Taiwan Strait, with large-scale drills across the entire western Pacific as far as waters near Australia,” he said, linking Taiwan’s security to regional peace.
“History has shown the world that appeasement invites aggression,” he said, adding that labeling Taiwan’s defensive actions as destabilizing absolves China of responsibility and fails to address its expansionist ambitions.
“To the people of Taiwan, surrendering our freedom is simply not an option,” Lii said.
‘ANGRY’: Forgetting the humiliations and sacrifices of ‘the people of the Republic of China’ experienced disqualified Lai from being president, Ma Ying-jeou said Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday criticized President William Lai (賴清德) over what he called “phrasing that downplayed Japan’s atrocities” against China during World War II. Ma made the remarks in a post on Facebook on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Ma said he was “angry and disappointed” that Lai described the anniversary as the end of World War II instead of a “victory in the war of resistance” — a reference to the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). The eight-year war was a part of World War II, in which Japan and the other Axis
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday announced a ban on all current and former government officials from traveling to China to attend a military parade on Sept. 3, which Beijing is to hold to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War. "This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Republic of China’s victory in the War of Resistance [Against Japan]," MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a regular news briefing in Taipei. To prevent Beijing from using the Sept. 3 military parade and related events for "united
‘OFFSHORE OPERATIONS’: Also in Dallas, Texas, the Ministry of Economic Affairs inaugurated its third Taiwan Trade and Investment Center to foster closer cooperation The 2025 Taiwan Expo USA opened on Thursday in Dallas, Texas, featuring 150 Taiwanese companies showcasing their latest technologies in the fields of drones, smart manufacturing and healthcare. The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), the event’s organizer, said the exhibitors this year include Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (Foxconn), the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer; AUO; PC brand Asustek Computer; and drone maker Thunder Tiger. In his opening speech, TAITRA chairman James Huang (黃志芳) said he expected Texas to become a world-class center for innovation and manufacturing as US technology companies from Silicon Valley and Taiwanese manufacturers form an industrial cluster
A 20-year-old man yesterday evening was electrocuted and fell to his death after he climbed a seven-story-high electricity tower to photograph the sunset, causing a wildfire on Datong Mountain (大同山) in New Taipei City’s Shulin District (樹林), the Taoyuan Police Department said today. The man, surnamed Hsieh (謝), was accompanied on an evening walk by a 20-year-old woman surnamed Shang (尚) who remained on the ground and witnessed the incident, capturing a final photograph of her friend sitting atop the tower before his death, an initial investigation showed. Shang then sought higher ground to call for help, police said. The New Taipei
RSS