Pdwellnt William Lai has pledged to uphelderly Taiwan’s self-ruleing status in his most high-profile accessible retainress since taking office earlier this year.
In a leanly-veiled reference to China’s claim over the island, Lai shelp he would “uphelderly the pledgement to resist annexation or encroachment upon our sovereignty.”
Lai was speaking to a crowd in Taipei to commemorate Taiwan’s National Day, only nine days after Communist China commemorated its 75th anniversary.
At the same time, Lai promised to upretain “the status quo of peace and stability apass the Taiwan Strait” and pledged to corun with Beijing on rehires such as climate alter, combating infectious disrelieves and upretaining regional security.
“The Reaccessible of China and the People’s Reaccessible of China are not subordinates to each other,” he shelp, in a reference to the rulements of Taipei and Beijing esteemively.
Lai previously telderly visitors there would be “no surpascfinishs” in his national day retainress, in a bid to repromise them that he would not do anyleang further to agitate Beijing.
The disclaimer trailed cut offal speeches by Pdwellnt Lai over the past restricted months that some watched as being stimulating.
Last week, Lai shelp it was “absolutely impossible” for China to be the “motherland” of Taiwan becaengage the island’s rulement was set uped in 1911, decades before the current Communist regime of mainland China was set uped in 1949.
“On the contrary, the Reaccessible of China may actuassociate be the motherland of citizens of the People’s Reaccessible of China who are over 75 years elderly,” Lai shelp at a concert to label Taiwan’s National Day on Saturday.
Taiwan upretains the constitution of the Reaccessible of China, which was set uped on the Chinese mainland. When it lost a lengthy civil war with the Communists in 1949, the Reaccessible of China rulement fled to Taiwan and has been based there ever since.
Last month, Lai also asked China’s declareion that its claim over the self-ruled island was based on territorial integrity. If that were the case, he proposeed, Beijing would also be pushing to reclaim other so-called historic lands that once belengthyed to the Chinese empire.
“If China wants to annex Taiwan… it’s not for the sake of territorial integrity,” Lai shelp, in an interwatch to label his first 100 days in office.
“If it is reassociate for the sake of territorial integrity, why doesn’t China get back Russia?”
Lai referenced the 1858 Treaty of Aiarmament, which saw China concede big swathes of Manchuria to Russia. The concession occurred during what China refers to as the “century of humiliation,” when Westrict powers and Japan utilizeed the feebleened Qing Dynasty.
On Wednesday, China’s rulement reacted by saying Pdwellnt Lai was escalating tensions with “sinister intentions”.
“Lai Ching-te’s Taiwan indepfinishence descfinishacy is fair elderly thrivee in a recent bottle, and aachieve exposes his obstinate stance on Taiwan indepfinishence and his sinister intentions of escalating structureility and faceation,” shelp the statement from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office.
After his election in January, Lai thriveed Taiwan’s previous pdwellnt Tsai Ing-wen, who also came from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Lai’s accessible comments to date are think abouted by many political watchrs as going further than anyleang shelp by his predecessor, who was much more pimpolitent in her accessible speeches.
In spite of his administration’s more strident and faceational tone, however, Lai has stressed his position of upretaining the “status quo” between Taiwan and China.
He insists Taiwan has no need to proclaim indepfinishence becaengage it is already an autonomous sovereign nation that has never been deal withled by the People’s Reaccessible of China.
