Beijing’s expected use of President William Lai’s (賴清德) Double Ten National Day speech tomorrow as a pretext for provocative measures would undermine peace and stability, the US Department of State said yesterday.
Taiwanese officials have said that China is likely to launch military drills near Taiwan in response to Lai's speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims.
A US state department spokesperson said they could not speculate on what China would or would not do.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
"However, it is worth emphasizing that using routine annual celebrations or public remarks as a pretext or excuse for provocative or coercive measures undermines peace and stability," the spokesperson said.
China late yesterday accused Lai of escalating tensions with "sinister intentions" in a speech he made over the weekend at an event to mark tomorrow’s Double Ten National Day.
Lai said that it is "impossible" for the People's Republic of China (PRC) to become Taiwan's motherland because the Republic of China has older political roots.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office said he was confusing right from wrong.
Lai's “Taiwan independence fallacy is just old wine in a new bottle, and again exposes his obstinate stance on Taiwan independence and his sinister intentions of escalating hostility and confrontation," it said.
The Mainland Affairs Council yesterday said it was an objective fact that since 1949, the PRC has never ruled Taiwan.
"The Taiwan Affairs Office's remarks have made Taiwan's people see clearly that the Chinese communists regard themselves as the sole legitimate government of China and simply do not allow any room for the survival of the Republic of China," it said.
The Chinese Ministry of National Defense today also reiterated its objections to US weapons sales to Taiwan, after the administration of US President Joe Biden approved US$567 million in further defense support.
"What needs stressing is that arming Taiwan is encouraging Taiwan independence, and Taiwan independence means war," the ministry said, echoing previous language it has used.
The Ministry of National Defense told Reuters in a statement that China has been using various reasons to "legitimize its targeted military drills."
"We continue to monitor and analyze the training dynamics of the Chinese communists around the Taiwan Strait in order to anticipate the situation," the ministry said.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
President William Lai (賴清德) should protect Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), and stop supporting domestic strife and discord, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrote on Facebook yesterday. US President Donald Trump and TSMC on Monday jointly announced that the company would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next few years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US. The TSMC plans have promoted concern in Taiwan that it would effectively lead to the chipmaking giant becoming Americanized. The Lai administration lacks tangible policies to address concerns that Taiwan might follow in Ukraine’s footsteps, Ma wrote. Instead, it seems to think it could
RSS