Beijing = Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Hyun-jung = In his National Day (Double Twelfth Day) speech on the 10th, Taiwan's President Lai Ching-de mentioned strengthening national defense capabilities to face China's military pressure and said that he would not tolerate subordination.
According to local media reports such as Taiwan's Central News Agency and Yonhap News Agency on the 10th, President Lai said in a speech on National Day held at the square in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei that day, "China is continuously applying pressure in an attempt to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait through military and gray area activities."
“Taiwan's firm stance in the face of the expansion of authoritarianism is related not only to our own survival, but also to the belief that force cannot rule over rules and that powerful countries cannot deprive the people of their right to decide their future,” he said, explaining that to this end, Taiwan is continuing its defense reform and fostering its defense industry through high-tech fields.
He emphasized, "The purpose of increasing defense spending is not provocation, but to deter war," and added, "Also, the reason we are strengthening our self-defense capabilities is not to give up dialogue, but to ensure that dialogue can take place on an equal and dignified basis."
Last August, the Lai Ching-de administration confirmed next year's defense budget at NT$1.1225 trillion (about KRW 48.7 trillion), the largest ever.
President Lai went on to urge democratic countries in the Indo-Pacific region to join forces to prevent the status quo of peace and stability in the region from being altered.
“We hope that the United States and China can manage competition and reduce the risk of conflict and war through dialogue,” he said, “but we must point out that an accurate understanding of how history unfolded is essential to maintaining regional security, peace, and stability.”
“Taiwan cherishes peace, but will not give up freedom,” he said. “We are open to exchanges, but we will not tolerate subordination.”
China objected, saying that President Lai had distorted the facts and revealed his true colors of pursuing Taiwanese independence.
According to China's official Xinhua News Agency, Zhang Han, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, China's Taiwan agency, criticized Lai Qingde's speech in a Q&A session with reporters on the same day, saying, "Lai Qingde's speech revealed an impure intention to ignore facts, spread controversy, and mislead the public."
Spokesperson Zhang said, "This shows his true colors as a 'practical Taiwanese independence promoter,'" and claimed, "In his speech, he insisted on the divisive idea of Taiwanese independence and exaggerated the 'threat from mainland China.'"
He went on to criticize, “They are trying to promote independence by relying on force and external forces by propagating the false narrative of ‘democracy vs. authoritarianism,’ and are destroying peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait by encouraging confrontation and confrontation between the two Straits (China and Taiwan).”
Spokesperson Zhang said, "The true phenomenon of the Taiwan Strait is that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China." He said that China will adhere to the 'one China' principle and the '92 formula' and resolutely strike at the forces that divide Taiwan's independence, while opposing interference from external forces.
The 92 Formula is a concept based on the Kuomintang's explanation that China and Taiwan recognized 'One China' in 1992, but each decided to interpret its meaning. China is putting forward this as the political basis for cross-Strait relations, but Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party does not accept it.
President Lai's speech came at a time when the positions of both sides on the Taiwan issue were attracting attention following the summit meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump last month.
At the U.S.-China summit held at the White House in Washington, D.C. on the 24th of last month, President Xi said he hoped the U.S. would maintain its stance of "opposing Taiwan independence" and handle the Taiwan issue carefully.
However, the Taiwan issue was not mentioned in the official data released by the U.S. White House after the summit, and Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs opposed China's announcement, saying it was a distortion of the facts.
