Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Vice President William Lai (賴清德) on Tuesday said he would maintain the “status quo” and pursue peace through strength if elected, remaining open to engagement with Beijing under the preconditions of equality and dignity.
Lai pledged to try to engage with China, saying that dialogue could decrease cross-straits risks, and that peaceful development is in the best interests of both sides and the world.
"Peace is priceless and war has no winners," Lai told reporters during an international news conference in which he appeared alongside his running mate, Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴).
Photo: AFP
The event was attended by 217 representatives of 128 media outlets from 28 countries, the campaign said.
However, "accepting China's one-principle proposition is not true peace," Lai said. "Peace without sovereignty is just like Hong Kong. It is fake peace."
The DPP has emphasized in campaigns the need to win a legislative majority. If that does not happen, Lai said, it would be "very difficult" for Taiwan to respond to challenges from China as well as domestic issues.
Lai also said that if elected, Taiwan would continue to build up its defense deterrence amid geopolitical tensions.
"The pursuit of peace relies on strength, not the goodwill of the aggressor," Lai said, vowing to bolster Taiwan's military and economic strength.
Hsiao, Taiwan's former representative to the US, said that facing the restructuring of the global economy, Taiwan must maintain its competitiveness and key position in supply chains.
"In order for Taiwan's economic strength to grow, it is necessary to integrate with the world," Hsiao said.
Lai told reporters the election would serve as a "testament to our commitment to democracy," while also noting that China's alleged interference in this election has been the "most serious" yet.
Taiwan has cited military and economic pressure and fake news from China as evidence of its attempt to interfere in the election, and said it was documenting it and would publish its analysis soon after the vote.
Additional reporting by Chen Yun
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to