President William Lai’s (賴清德) first Double Ten National Day address indicates that he would not be rash or adopt provocative cross-strait policies, and undercuts international doubt over Lai, experts said yesterday.
China and pro-unification groups in Taiwan have constantly sought to discredit Lai by claiming that he had adopted a “pragmatic” attitude toward Taiwanese independence, National Cheng Kung University political science professor Hung Chin-fu (洪敬富) said.
Lai’s speeches at his inaugural ceremony, the National Day gala on Saturday and the National Day address yesterday adopted the same pragmatic and confident stance on cross-strait affairs, Hung said.
Photo: CNA
Lai’s mention of the Wuchang Uprising in 1911, the Battle of Guningtou, the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis 66 years ago and the Formosa incident in 1979 helped string together Taiwan and the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan under the historical perspective of the ROC, Hung said.
Claims that the president is still an independence supporter after these speeches now seem weak, Hung added.
Hung also said that Lai’s speech offered an olive branch to Beijing, stating that both sides could work on climate change, pandemic prevention, and maintaining regional safety on an equal footing and with mutual respect.
National Taiwan University associate professor of political science Chen Shih-min (陳世民) said that Lai mentioned the ROC and the ROC, Taiwan 10 times, which set him apart from his predecessor.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) mentioned the ROC seven times during her National Day address last year and five times in 2022.
Chen said Lai is more accommodating of the ROC’s historical perspective and wants to build national unity to mitigate the possibility of Beijing fomenting dissent within Taiwan.
Commenting on his National Day gala statements at the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Central Standing Committee meeting, Lai said the speech was in line with the DPP’s Resolution on Taiwan’s Future, Tsai’s “four musts” policy and his own “four pillars” policy.
The DPP in 1999 adopted the resolution, which states that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent nation and that any change of status must be decided by the people of Taiwan.
Tsai in her New Year’s Day speech in 2019 said that China must recognize the existence of the ROC, respect the values of democracy and freedom Taiwan’s 23 million people hold dear, resolve cross-strait differences in a peaceful and equitable manner, and engage in negotiations with the government of Taiwan or an institution with a mandate from the government.
Lai’s vision has moved beyond the Taiwan Strait and he set his sights on international affairs, Prospect Foundation president Lai I-chung (賴怡忠) said.
Compared to previous presidents, Lai’s speech is much more friendly and also exhorts Beijing to live up to its international role, Lai I-chung said.
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