US President Donald Trump “will surely win the Nobel Peace Prize” if he is able to convince Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to permanently renounce the use of force against Taiwan, President William Lai (賴清德) said in an exclusive interview on a US podcast aired today.
Buck Sexton of the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show is on a weeklong “fact-finding mission to Taiwan,” where he discussed rising cross-strait tensions, China’s expanding military presence in the Indo-Pacific region and Taiwan’s growing importance in the global artificial intelligence (AI) race with the president.
Lai used a translator to give the interview, in which he gave a direct message to Trump.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
He first clarified a number of points to a US audience.
First, the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are “not subordinate to each other. Taiwan is not a part of the PRC. China does not have the right to invade Taiwan,” he said.
Second, “China has been holding military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, undermining peace and stability in the region. So it is China, not Taiwan, that is disrupting the cross-strait ‘status quo,’” he said.
“The fact that the Taiwanese people seek to protect their sovereignty and pursue a way of life based on democracy, freedom and human rights should not be seen as a provocation against China,” he added.
In addition, despite increasing threats from China, “Taiwan has not given up on seeking peace and mutual prosperity across the Strait. We understand that peace is priceless and that there are no winners in war,” he said, as it is essential to global security and prosperity.
“Our pursuit of peace is an ideal, not a fantasy,” he added, referencing his “Four Pillars of Peace and Action Plan” to strengthen national defense, build economic security, strengthen democratic partnerships and engage in stable and principled cross-strait leadership.
He spoke of his key policies as president, including continuing to increase national defense spending to reach 3.32 percent of GDP next year and 5 percent by 2030.
The goal is five years earlier than that set by NATO, as Taiwan procures arms from the US and other allies while bolstering indigenous defense capabilities, focusing on drones, uncrewed submarines and robotics, Lai said.
The US is now Taiwan’s largest destination for outbound investment, overtaking China, as Taiwan secures economic resilience, he said.
“We hope that Taiwan’s industries will be rooted in Taiwan, deployed globally and marketed across the world,” he added.
Moreover, Taiwan would stand with the US and other free and democracies to prevent war, he said.
Finally, “Taiwan is willing to engage in dialogue with China based on parity and dignity,” he said.
Speaking directly to Trump, Lai said he should pay attention to the military and geographical expansion of China’s “gray zone” exercises across the Indo-Pacific region.
If China annexes Taiwan, it would be in a “stronger position to compete with the [US] and alter the rules-based international order,” ultimately impacting US interests, he said.
Despite Taiwan’s achievements in the global semiconductor industry, particularly in semiconductor manufacturing, the US is the “leader in this ecosystem,” Lai said, adding that Taiwan is willing to help the US “industrialize and become a global AI hub,” and “make America great again.”
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