Taiwan won’t give up freedom, Lai says; Beijing slams ’ulterior motives’

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te emphasized the island's commitment to peace and its determination to preserve its freedom during his National Day speech on Saturday. Lai stated that respecting Taiwan's right to exist is essential, and boosting defenses is not a provocation. Beijing swiftly denounced the speech, claiming it distorted the truth and indicated ulterior motives.

Facing a significantly larger and more advanced military, Taiwan has increased defense spending and modernized its armed forces. Lai acknowledged that peace cannot be achieved solely through wishes and that Taiwan must not give up its freedom. The president highlighted that Taiwan's resolve stems from its survival against authoritarian expansion and the international community's belief that force should not override rules.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office criticized Lai's speech, accusing him of clinging to separatist thinking and exaggerating the threat from the mainland. The office insisted that the Taiwan Strait's status quo is that there is only one China, and Taiwan is part of it. China has consistently rejected Taiwan's autonomy and called the president a separatist, while rebuffing his offers of talks.

The United States supports Lai's commitment to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. However, China has never ruled out using force to bring Taiwan under its control. Lai refrained from using the usual phrase that neither side of the Taiwan Strait is subordinate to the other but invoked Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, calling for Taiwan to become a "city upon a hill."

The president's government aims to deter war, not provoke it, through increased defense investments. He stressed the importance of respecting Taiwan's right to exist and called for democracies in the Indo-Pacific region to join forces to retain the status quo of peace and stability in the region.