By Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard
TAIPEI — China has no right to represent Taiwan, but the island is willing to work with Beijing to combat challenges like climate change, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Thursday, striking both a firm and a conciliatory tone, drawing anger from China.
Lai, who took office in May after being elected in January, is detested by China, which calls him a “separatist.” Beijing claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, a view Lai and his government reject.
Giving a keynote national address outside the presidential office in Taipei, Lai reiterated that the Republic of China – the island’s formal name – and the People’s Republic of China are “not subordinate to each other.”
“On this land, democracy and freedom are growing and thriving. The People’s Republic of China has no right to represent Taiwan,” he said.
Taiwan’s determination to defend its sovereignty, maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait and seek equal and dignified talks with China all remain unchanged, Lai added.
“I will also uphold the commitment to resist annexation or encroachment upon our sovereignty,” Lai said.
But he also held out an offer of cooperation with China.
“We are willing to work with China on addressing climate change, combating infectious diseases, and maintaining regional security to pursue peace and mutual prosperity for the well-being of the people on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.”
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said Lai was a stubborn adherent of Taiwan independence, full of confrontational thinking, “constantly provoking troubles and deliberately aggravating cross-strait tensions.”
“Lai Ching-te has made every effort to piece together the grounds for secession,” it said in a statement. “His independence provocations are the root cause of the continuous troubling of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and will bring disaster to the people of Taiwan.”
Lai added that he hoped China could live up to the international community’s expectations, and apply its influence and work with other countries toward ending Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East.
“And 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,” he said.
MILITARY DRILLS
Taiwanese and Western officials have warned China could stage more military drills in response to his speech.
A senior official in the Taiwanese presidential office, briefing reporters after the speech, said Lai had extended an olive branch to China and used a “positive narrative” when describing the government in Beijing.
It was not Taiwan who was provoking or seeking to change the status quo, and China did not need an excuse for military activity, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“They are ready and waiting,” the official said, adding that Taiwan is watching the situation closely.
China has no justification for using Lai’s speech as a pretext for military pressure, the United States, Taiwan’s most important international backer despite the absence of diplomatic ties, said on Wednesday.
Lai has repeatedly offered talks with Beijing but has been rebuffed. He says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future.
Lai also praised Taiwan’s diversity, highlighting Nymphia Wind, the first East Asian to take the crown in RuPaul’s Drag Race, and Olympic gold medalist Lin Yu-ting, one of two boxers at the center of a gender dispute at this year’s Paris Olympics.
“The people of Taiwan are diverse, and they are fearless. Our own Nymphia Wind is a queen on the world stage. The people of Taiwan are truly courageous. Lin Yu-ting, a daughter of Taiwan, is a queen of the boxing world,” he said. – Reuters
