At a press conference on Friday, August 25, 2023, Taiwanese Vice President and ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s presidential candidate, William Lai Ching-te, disclosed that the international community has the perception that, China is responsible for recent tensions along the Taiwan Strait.
“The international community understands that recent tensions are not because of President Tsai or because of Taiwan, but because of China,” Lai averred.
Lai declared that his support for cross-strait status quo “will be unwavering,” saying that he will uphold President Tsai Ing-wen’s commitments.
He added that Tsai has enabled the world to clearly see Taiwan for what it is; “a source of stability amid the growing global uncertainties.”
In his speech, Lai issued a caution on seeking dialogue with China, which is hinged on the condition of accepting ‘one-China’ principle.
“The opposition parties currently hope to seek peace through negotiations and exchanges but we have to beware that the pre-condition for the opposition parties is to accept the ‘one-China’ principle.”
William Lai Ching-te
“If we lose our sovereignty, even if we have exchanges and collaboration, I don’t think that would be true peace,” Lai stressed.
He added that Taiwan is “willing to open the door for exchanges and cooperation with China under the condition of ensuring our sovereignty.”
China’s political leadership regards Taiwan’s incumbent President, Tsai Ing-wen, and Lai as “separatists” and refuses to have dialogue with them. Communications have been non-existent since Tsai’s election.
China claims that self-ruled Taiwan is part of its territory which is to be annexed by force if necessary. As such, it has the habit of staging military drills around the island to register its displeasure.
Last Saturday, August 19, 2023, China staged military exercises around Taiwan in reaction to brief stops that Lai made in the United States on his way to and from Paraguay.
Prior to that, China launched major military exercises after Nancy Pelosi, then U.S House Speaker, visited Taiwan last year and again when President Tsai Ing-wen met with U.S House Speaker, Kevin McCarthy in California.
China Accused Of Seeking To Interfere In Upcoming Elections In Taiwan
Lai, who is deemed as the frontrunner in the upcoming presidential elections, has accused China of using “unfair” practices to influence the polls.
“China will be hoping to interfere in the elections with all sorts of tactics, but if they succeed, it will be an undermining of Taiwan’s democracy,” Lai said at the press conference.
Nonetheless, Lai defended that Taiwan has proven its status as a country through its democratic actions.
“Taiwan holds regular elections for our President, Vice President, legislators, officials, Mayors and local government leaders, and they serve the people, so I think this shows that it is a fact that Taiwan is a sovereign country. This is a fact, this is the truth.”
William Lai Ching-te
Lai iterated that majority of the island’s society agrees with this as regular opinion polls depict that most Taiwanese people view Taiwan as independent, even though its sovereignty is only recognised by the Vatican and12 nations.
“This is a consensus in Taiwan. In the future, I will build on this foundation when conducting foreign policy,” he told reporters.
As the Democratic Progressive Party’s candidate, Lai leads in most opinion polls over his competitors, Ko Wen-je from the independence-leaning Taiwan People’s Party, and Hou Yu-ih, from the pro-Beijing Kuomintang party.
If he wins the election which is scheduled for January next year, Lai will have to contend with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has vowed to restore Taiwan to the “motherland” by 2049.
