(Adnkronos) – Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te reiterated his commitment to dialogue for peace with China, ”because there are no winners in war”. In his speech marking the first anniversary of his inauguration, Lai at the same time stressed the need to strengthen Taiwan’s defense. “Peace is priceless, but we cannot have dreams or illusions, they are dangerous,” he said.
Meeting with reporters at the presidential office in Taipei, Lai said that ”Taiwan is happy to have exchanges and cooperate with China, as long as there is mutual respect for dignity. We need to use exchange to replace encirclement, dialogue to replace confrontation,” he stressed.
China has always called Lai ”a separatist” and has always rejected his proposals for dialogue. The president of Taiwan, on the other hand, rejects China’s claims on the island and believes that it should be up to the people to decide its future.
