Taipei, Taiwan—Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te vowed Thursday to “resist annexation”, as China exerts growing military and political pressure on the self-ruled island it claims as part of its territory.
China has not ruled out using force to bring the democratic island under its control, which Lai and his government oppose.
“I will also uphold the commitment to resist annexation or encroachment upon our sovereignty,” Lai said under grey skies during Taiwan’s National Day celebrations.
Beijing has ramped up pressure on Taiwan to accept its territorial claims and relations have remained tense under Lai, who took office in May.
A senior US administration official said Wednesday that China may use the National Day celebrations “as a pretext” for military exercises.
Lai has been more outspoken than his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen in defending Taiwan’s sovereignty, angering Beijing, which calls him a “separatist.”
Beijing accused Lai on Tuesday of “malicious intent to escalate hostility and confrontation” after he said China was not the “motherland” of Taiwan.
“Our determination to defend our national sovereignty remains unchanged,” Lai said Thursday, in front of an audience that included Tsai and pro-independence former Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian.
“Our efforts to maintain the status quo of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait remain unchanged,” Lai said in front of the Presidential Office.
Taiwan was on alert for Chinese military drills near the island on National Day after observing “some maritime deployments,” a senior security official told Agence France Presse (AFP) on Wednesday.
China maintains a near-daily military presence around Taiwan and has held three rounds of large-scale war games in the past two years, deploying aircraft and ships to encircle the island.
“Even though we have not seen significant military activity or exercises following previous 10/10 speeches, we are prepared that Beijing may choose to use this as a pretext this year,” the senior US administration official told reporters.
“We see no justification for a routine annual celebration to be used in this manner. Coercive actions like this against Taiwan and in the cross-Strait context, in our view, undermine cross-Strait stability.”
Taiwan’s defense ministry said Thursday that 27 Chinese military aircraft and nine navy vessels were detected around the island in the 24 hours to 6:00 am.
In his speech, Lai expressed hope for “healthy and orderly dialogue and exchanges” with China, and urged Beijing to use its influence to help end conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.
Beijing severed high-level communications with Taipei in 2016 when Tsai, also a member of Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party, took power.
Lai’s “softer tone” compared to his inauguration address in May was unlikely to placate Beijing, which would be angry at his references to the Republic of China’s history, said Fang-yu Chen, assistant professor of political science at Soochow University in Taipei.
“This emphasis could provoke Beijing, as it suggests Lai is asserting control over the historical narrative,” Chen told AFP.
