Taiwan president Lai Ching-te has said they cherishes peace but will not give up their freedom; there must be respect for the right of Taiwan’s people to exist.
This was disclosed on Saturday in a National Day speech in Taiwan.
According to reports, democratically governed Taiwan has faced increased military and political pressure from China, which views the island as its own territory over the strong objections of the government in Taipei.
China’s military is adding advanced new weapons like stealth-fighter jets, aircraft carriers and a huge array of missiles, while Taiwan is ramping up defence spending and modernising its armed forces.
Lai said Peace cannot rely solely on “wishes, Taiwan cherishes peace, but we will not give up our freedom. We are open to exchanges, but will not accept subordination.”
Taiwan’s resolve is not only a matter of its survival in the face of “authoritarian expansion,” he added.
“It is about whether the international community still believes that force cannot override rules, and that the powerful cannot strip a people of their right to determine their own future.”
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The United States is Taiwan’s most important international backer despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties.
“And we are strengthening our self-defence not to abandon dialogue, but to ensure that dialogue can take place based on parity and dignity,” he told the crowd at the event.
Adding that “There must be respect for the right of the people of Taiwan to exist.”
In 2024, shortly after Lai’s first National Day speech as president, China held war games around the island but did not do so last year.
Its last war games near Taiwan were in late December, following news of an $11-billion US arms deal for Taipei, the largest ever.
US President Donald Trump has yet to approve a second package, worth $14 billion.
Lai said he welcomed the United States and China managing their competition through dialogue and reducing the risk of conflict and war.
He urged democracies in the Indo-Pacific region to join forces to retain the status quo of peace and stability in the region.
Taiwan’s National Day is held on the anniversary of a 1911 uprising that led to the overthrow of China’s last imperial dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China.
The Republican government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong’s communists, and the Republic of China remains the island’s formal name.
