(Adnkronos) – “Resist annexation”. This is the “mission” indicated by the president of Taiwan, Lai Ching Te (William Lai), who insists on defending the “sovereignty” of the de facto independent island, but which Beijing considers a “rebel province” and for which it wants “reunification”.
China “has no right to represent Taiwan,” he said following accusations from Beijing, which in recent years has put increasing political and military pressure on the island. “China and Taiwan are not subordinate to each other.” “As president, my mission is to ensure that our nation resists, moves forward in progress, and unites the 23 million inhabitants,” he said in his speech on the occasion of Taiwan’s National Day. “I will also maintain the commitment to resist annexation.”
Words that come after the spokeswoman for the (Chinese) Taiwan Affairs Office, Zhu Fenglian, pointed the finger at Lai, in power since May, accused of raising tensions with statements about the Asian giant that cannot be the “homeland” of the inhabitants of Taiwan.
On the island “democracy and freedom grow and flourish”, Lai claimed in response. His “mission”, he said again, is also to “safeguard people’s lives and property” in addition to the commitment to “strengthen national defense” and to “stand by democratic countries”. Lai speaks of “together demonstrating deterrence to guarantee peace through strength”, of “actively developing the economy” and “ensuring that all our citizens can benefit from the fruits of our economic growth”.
Among the “challenges” for Taiwan in the awaited speech, he indicated climate change, but also “the expansion of authoritarianism, which implies a series of challenges to the rules-based international order, something that threatens the free and democratic way of life”. Thus, he is convinced, “we must strengthen Taiwan’s resilience both from the point of view of national defense and from the perspective of the economy and disaster prevention” and of “democracy”.
“Taiwan is determined to maintain its commitment to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” he said again, affirming his willingness to work with Beijing to “address climate change, the fight against infectious diseases, maintain security in the region and the search for mutual peace and prosperity”. And he said he “hopes that China will live up to the expectations of the international community”, that it “assumes its international responsibilities and that, together with Taiwan, it contributes to the peace, security and prosperity of the region and of the world”.
