The CCP announced military exercises after Double Ten. The Mainland Affairs Council condemned the hegemonic mentality: it has repeatedly become a troublemaker in the region.

Shen Youzhong, deputy chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council, delivered a speech today at the "2026 Presidential National Day Speech and the New Cross-Strait Situation" symposium at the Tunghai University Land Research Center. He said that the President's National Day speech this year, in the cross-strait and international situation, emphasized Taiwan's persistence and self-confidence, and will continue to deepen its determination to defend itself and work with the international community to defend the current status of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. At the same time, he condemned the CCP’s announcement of military actions in surrounding waters after China’s National Day, which not only confirmed the CCP’s hegemonic mentality, but also repeatedly became a troublemaker in the region.

Shen Youzhong called on the Chinese Communist Party to respect the Taiwan people's insistence on a free and democratic way of life and respond to the international community's expectations for cross-strait peace and stability. He analyzed President Lai Ching-te's National Day speech and pointed out that China continues to use military and gray zone operations to exert pressure in an attempt to unilaterally change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and use force to force us to accept the authoritarian rule of the Chinese Communist Party. This is not only unacceptable to the Taiwanese people, but also violates the international community's expectations for the maintenance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Shen Youzhong said that in the face of authoritarian expansion, Taiwan will continue to strengthen its self-defense capabilities, strengthen the democratic resilience of building a "city on a hill", and deepen international cooperation to protect democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law, and prevent authoritarian erosion. This persistence is not only related to one's own survival, but also related to whether the international community still believes that force cannot override rules, and power cannot deprive people of their right to determine the future.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Taiwan's direct election of the president. Shen Youzhong also used the aspect of "national sovereignty" to explain the results of Taiwan's deepening of democracy, and emphasized that the government will continue to respond steadily to the current new cross-strait situation based on Taiwan's mainstream public opinion. He emphasized that direct presidential election is not only a symbol of Taiwan's democracy, but also a concrete practice of the value of "sovereignty among the people." Taiwan has gone through eight direct presidential elections and three political party changes in the past 30 years, continuing to consolidate its highly mature democratic system. As local elections are approaching this year, the CCP will attempt to influence Taiwan’s democratic governance and elections through various methods. Democratic Taiwan will once again determine its future through votes, demonstrating its firm belief and will in pursuing freedom and democracy. The authoritarian CCP has no right to comment.

Shen Youzhong criticized that although Beijing has repeatedly boasted of the so-called "benefits after reunification" in order to promote its "one country, two systems", the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have system differences between democracy and authoritarianism, and it is impossible to tolerate them. Taiwan's deepening of democracy and high-level economic development have long been a model for the world; and according to multiple polls, mainstream public opinion in Taiwan has long firmly rejected "one country, two systems". Nearly 80% of the people support "the non-subordination of the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China" and refuse to accept the authoritarian rule of the Chinese Communist Party.

Shen Youzhong condemned the CCP’s announcement of military operations in the East China Sea, Yellow Sea, Bohai Sea, South China Sea and other surrounding waters after China’s National Day, pointing out that the CCP ignores the current situation and the international community’s opposition to calls for unilateral changes in peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, insists on using force to coerce and undermines regional stability, and is an out-and-out troublemaker. It also calls on the Chinese people and the international community to recognize the authoritarian expansion nature of the CCP and not to rely on compromise with the authoritarian regime for peace. Only by uniting and strengthening our own strength can we ensure sustainable peace.

Shen Youzhong finally made a three-point appeal to the CCP: First, the CCP should conduct healthy and orderly exchanges with Taiwan based on the well-being of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to respond to the expectations of the people on both sides of the strait; second, call on the CCP to engage in dialogue with equal dignity and without political preconditions with our democratically elected government to reduce the risk of conflict; third, call on the CCP to give up unilaterally, especially the attempt to change the peaceful and stable status quo across the Taiwan Strait by force, and respond to the expectations of the international community in a responsible manner.