President Lai attended an international media tea party hosted by the Taiwan Foreign Correspondents' Club (TFCC) on Thursday. More than 60 foreign media in Taiwan from around the world were present. The scene mainly focused on US arms sales to Taiwan, Japan-Philippine exclusive economic zone negotiations and other issues. Foreign media are paying close attention to the president's relevant stance. Nikkei Asia's report affirmed that the tea ceremony hosted by TFCC was the first time in many years that Taiwan's current president attended in person, marking the Lai Ching-te government's commitment to letting Taiwan's voice be heard by the international community.
President Lai’s response has three core elements that remain unchanged. First, it shows that Taiwan’s determination to defend itself remains unchanged. When talking about U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, he said that foreign arms purchases are as important as promoting national defense independence, and reiterated that Taiwan is willing to work with the international community for collective defense and responsibility sharing; secondly, it must abide by the rules-based international order and remain unchanged. On the issue of negotiations on delimitation of exclusive economic zones between Japan and the Philippines, the President reiterated that the negotiations would not affect the rights and interests of third parties, emphasized that national sovereignty and fishermen's rights and interests would be ensured, and pointed out that China's harassment in the surrounding gray areas is the biggest risk and threat; third, the determination to promote peace through reciprocal exchanges remains unchanged. During the meeting, President Lai cited the dawn of peace in the Middle East, hoped that the Russia-Ukraine war would end as soon as possible, and mentioned the recent G7 call to call on China to abandon authoritarian expansion and reiterated its willingness to communicate on the basis of reciprocity and dignity to jointly promote peace.
Foreign media also reported a lot on the president's remarks. "Bloomberg" titled "Taiwan President Calls on Global Media to Resist China's Pressure" focused on President Lai's response to China's recent increase in pressure on foreign media. Japan's "Yomiuri Shimbun" quoted President Lai's criticism that China is the only country in neighboring countries. Speeches such as "The Biggest Threat" focused on the Japan-Philippine EEZ demarcation negotiations; Qatar's Al Jazeera focused on the issue of U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. The report mentioned that Taiwan relies on U.S. support to deter any potential Chinese attacks, and that the Beijing authorities have recently intensified military and diplomatic pressure on Taiwan. A special report in "Nikkei Asia" pointed out that President Lai reiterated his willingness to communicate with China on the basis of reciprocity and dignity, but Beijing has repeatedly rejected similar proposals. Regarding President Lai's promotion of national security legal system, Nikkei commented that President Lai regards Taiwan's security initiative structure as part of a broader regional joint effort.
Among them, Jojje Olsson, a senior Swedish journalist in Taiwan who participated in the meeting, also pointed out in a post on his social platform that there was a question and answer session with the Foreign Minister on Wednesday and a Q&A session with the President on Thursday as well as informal free exchanges. He said, "In Taiwan, journalists have access to more channels than in most countries." This coincides with what President Lai said in response to questions from foreign media: "I believe that no matter how long you have lived, interviewed, and reported in Taiwan, you should be deeply impressed by Taiwan's democracy, freedom, and vitality."
Foreigners also further analyzed that in the face of China's continued increase in pressure on the first and second island chain countries, the Lai government chose this time to talk to the international media to clearly clarify Taiwan's position to the international community and demonstrate its attitude of "collective defense and responsibility sharing."
