China’s ambition to annex Taiwan is based on a desire to change the rules-based international order, rather than a desire for territorial gains, President William Lai (賴清德) said in an interview.
During an appearance on the talk show The View With Catherine Chang, aired last night, Lai said China aimed to achieve hegemony, and that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait was an issue of worldwide concern.
During the interview, Lai also discussed his “four-pillar plan” for peace and prosperity, which he first outlined in an article published by the Wall Street Journal on July 4 last year. That plan includes bolstering Taiwan’s military deterrence, treating economic security as national security, developing partnerships with other democracies, and maintaining steady and principled leadership on cross-strait issues.
Photo: Screengrab from CH50’s YouTube channel
Lai cited recent expressions of support for Taiwan from the international community, including those from Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, US President Joe Biden, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the leaders of some EU countries, as well as statements made during the G7 summit in June.
Those statements all said that “maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is indispensable to international security and prosperity,” Lai said, adding that they illustrated the need for Taiwan to “stand united with the international democratic camp.”
On the issue of economic resilience, Lai said that only 11.4 percent of Taiwan’s overseas investments last year were in China, down significantly from 83.8 percent in 2010.
Taiwanese businesses are dispersing those investments elsewhere including Japan, the US, Europe and Southeast Asia, he said.
Commenting on regional security alliances, Lai cited the establishment of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, the AUKUS security partnership, the Five Eyes alliance and the US-Japan-Philippines summit, which he said showed that democracies are cooperating near the Taiwan Strait.
Responding to rumors that Washington was concerned about Lai lacking diplomatic experience, and that it did not want him to transit through the continental US, Lai denied them and said that he did not have any plans to visit the US in the immediate future.
A White House official also dispelled rumors about US concerns about Lai’s administration during a news conference on Aug. 23.
“Everything that we have seen come out of Taipei indicates that the current leadership remains committed to maintaining status quo, and peace and stability,” the official said.
‘CORRECT IDENTIFICATION’: Beginning in May, Taiwanese married to Japanese can register their home country as Taiwan in their spouse’s family record, ‘Nikkei Asia’ said The government yesterday thanked Japan for revising rules that would allow Taiwanese nationals married to Japanese citizens to list their home country as “Taiwan” in the official family record database. At present, Taiwanese have to select “China.” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the new rule, set to be implemented in May, would now “correctly” identify Taiwanese in Japan and help protect their rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The statement was released after Nikkei Asia reported the new policy earlier yesterday. The name and nationality of a non-Japanese person marrying a Japanese national is added to the
AT RISK: The council reiterated that people should seriously consider the necessity of visiting China, after Beijing passed 22 guidelines to punish ‘die-hard’ separatists The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has since Jan. 1 last year received 65 petitions regarding Taiwanese who were interrogated or detained in China, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. Fifty-two either went missing or had their personal freedoms restricted, with some put in criminal detention, while 13 were interrogated and temporarily detained, he said in a radio interview. On June 21 last year, China announced 22 guidelines to punish “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists,” allowing Chinese courts to try people in absentia. The guidelines are uncivilized and inhumane, allowing Beijing to seize assets and issue the death penalty, with no regard for potential
‘UNITED FRONT’ FRONTS: Barring contact with Huaqiao and Jinan universities is needed to stop China targeting Taiwanese students, the education minister said Taiwan has blacklisted two Chinese universities from conducting academic exchange programs in the nation after reports that the institutes are arms of Beijing’s United Front Work Department, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) published yesterday. China’s Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, as well as Jinan University in Guangzhou, which have 600 and 1,500 Taiwanese on their rolls respectively, are under direct control of the Chinese government’s political warfare branch, Cheng said, citing reports by national security officials. A comprehensive ban on Taiwanese institutions collaborating or
STILL COMMITTED: The US opposes any forced change to the ‘status quo’ in the Strait, but also does not seek conflict, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US President Donald Trump’s administration released US$5.3 billion in previously frozen foreign aid, including US$870 million in security exemptions for programs in Taiwan, a list of exemptions reviewed by Reuters showed. Trump ordered a 90-day pause on foreign aid shortly after taking office on Jan. 20, halting funding for everything from programs that fight starvation and deadly diseases to providing shelters for millions of displaced people across the globe. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has said that all foreign assistance must align with Trump’s “America First” priorities, issued waivers late last month on military aid to Israel and Egypt, the
RSS