President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday told students and alumni at the Republic of China Military Academy centennial in Kaohsiung that they must know their enemy and resist defeatism.
In a ceremony to celebrate the founding of the Whampoa Military Academy on June 16, 1924, in Guangzhou, China, Lai highlighted the importance of defending the nation’s sovereignty, making sacrifices and staying united.
“No countries can exist without sovereignty, and the Republic of China can only exist if Taiwan exists. You [the students] are here at the academy as you have pledged to defend the nation,” he said. “We should distinguish friend from foe, and should never accept a defeatist attitude that says our first battle with the enemy would be the last.”
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
He appeared to be referencing remarks by former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who in 2020 said in a speech that China’s strategy is to mount a rapid invasion of Taiwan, leaving no time for the US to come to the nation’s rescue.
The academy was relocated to Taiwan after the Chinese Civil War and reopened in Kaohsiung as the Republic of China Military Academy. As the Chinese People’s Liberation Army recruited graduates from the original academy, both nations held centennials to assert ownership of the institution’s heritage.
More than 10,000 active and retired officers had been expected at the event in Kaohsiung, while fewer than 100 were forecast to attend China’s version in Huangpu, also known as Whampoa, Veterans Affairs Council Minister Yen De-fa (嚴德發) had said.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
In Kaohsiung, students marched in step in a formal military parade — the first Lai has reviewed since taking office on May 20.
Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) and foreign dignitaries also attended the event.
Lai said he was honored to preside over the centennial as commander-in-chief.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
“The academy was established at a time when the country was in danger and was pressed on both domestic and international fronts. For a democratic republic of the people, by the people and for the people, young people joined the academy to fight wars to unite the nation, suppress communists and withstand the Japanese invasion. They were undaunted by hardships, difficulties and death,” Lai said.
Although the academy was relocated to Taiwan in 1949 following the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) loss to the Chinese Communist Party in the Chinese Civil War, it resumed operations in 1950 and defended Taiwan in the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1958 and other conflicts, he said.
Students of the academy have also helped rebuild the nation after natural disasters, he added.
“Despite drastic changes over the past 100 years, we firmly believe that wherever the Republic of China is, there is the spirit of Whampoa... It is here that the spirit of Whampoa continues and prospers. Only those who would fight for the survival, development and security of the Republic of China and its people are true graduates of the academy, and those who have no such ambition are false ones,” he said.
The greatest challenge the academy’s students and graduates face is the rise of China and its intention to disrupt the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait by annexing Taiwan and destroying the Republic of China, he said.
“Your highest commission should be to bravely defend Taiwan and maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” he said.
Academy graduates need to realize they do not belong to any individual or political party, as they have pledged allegiance to the country, people and democracy, he said.
CRITICAL MOVE: TSMC’s plan to invest another US$100 billion in US chipmaking would boost Taiwan’s competitive edge in the global market, the premier said The government would ensure that the most advanced chipmaking technology stays in Taiwan while assisting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in investing overseas, the Presidential Office said yesterday. The statement follows a joint announcement by the world’s largest contract chipmaker and US President Donald Trump on Monday that TSMC would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next four years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US, which would include construction of three new chip fabrication plants, two advanced packaging facilities, and a research and development center. The government knew about the deal in advance and would assist, Presidential
‘DANGEROUS GAME’: Legislative Yuan budget cuts have already become a point of discussion for Democrats and Republicans in Washington, Elbridge Colby said Taiwan’s fall to China “would be a disaster for American interests” and Taipei must raise defense spending to deter Beijing, US President Donald Trump’s pick to lead Pentagon policy, Elbridge Colby, said on Tuesday during his US Senate confirmation hearing. The nominee for US undersecretary of defense for policy told the Armed Services Committee that Washington needs to motivate Taiwan to avoid a conflict with China and that he is “profoundly disturbed” about its perceived reluctance to raise defense spending closer to 10 percent of GDP. Colby, a China hawk who also served in the Pentagon in Trump’s first team,
SEPARATE: The MAC rebutted Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is China’s province, asserting that UN Resolution 2758 neither mentions Taiwan nor grants the PRC authority over it The “status quo” of democratic Taiwan and autocratic China not belonging to each other has long been recognized by the international community, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday in its rebuttal of Beijing’s claim that Taiwan can only be represented in the UN as “Taiwan, Province of China.” Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday at a news conference of the third session at the 14th National People’s Congress said that Taiwan can only be referred to as “Taiwan, Province of China” at the UN. Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, which is not only history but
INVESTMENT WATCH: The US activity would not affect the firm’s investment in Taiwan, where 11 production lines would likely be completed this year, C.C. Wei said Investments by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in the US should not be a cause for concern, but rather seen as the moment that the company and Taiwan stepped into the global spotlight, President William Lai (賴清德) told a news conference at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday alongside TSMC chairman and chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家). Wei and US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday announced plans to invest US$100 billion in the US to build three advanced foundries, two packaging plants, and a research and development center, after Trump threatened to slap tariffs on chips made
RSS