A war over Taiwan would bring about a “global catastrophe” on a scale that China would find hard to bear, Vice President William Lai (賴清德) said on Saturday.
China on April 8 launched three days of military exercises around Taiwan, a move that was widely understood as an expression of anger about a meeting between President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Lai, who is to run for the Democratic Progressive Party in next year’s presidential election, told a campaign event in Tainan that a cross-strait war would have no winners, adding that China hopefully understands that.
Photo courtesy of Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Chun-hsien’s Supporters’ Club
“China should realize that once war is launched over Taiwan, Taiwan will admittedly be directly harmed, but it will also cause a global catastrophe,” Lai said. “China will find it hard to bear.”
China should treat Taiwan well, as peace is priceless, Lai said.
Taiwan has been China’s largest foreign investor and has contributed more than US$200 billion to the country over the past few decades, which created jobs and provided stability, he said.
Taiwan stands ready to engage in cross-strait exchanges and cooperation, as long as they are conducted on the basis of equality and dignity, to advance mutual understanding and reconciliation, Lai said.
However, unless China renounces the use of force to take Taiwan, it is necessary to continue building up the nation’s defense capabilities to prepare to resist a Chinese invasion and protect Taiwan, he said.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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