Taiwan’s President Lai Calls China ‘Aggressor’ And Threatening Peace – OpEd

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te on May 20 called out China for threatening peace across the Taiwan Strait, despite reiterating his openness to engaging in dialogue with Beijing.

“The aggressor is the one that undermines peace,” the Focus  Taiwan CNA website reported quoting Lai as saying.

He was delivering a speech that marked the anniversary of his taking office exactly one year ago.

“Many countries around the world, including Taiwan, are in fact under the threat of aggressors,” he said, noting that Taiwan was, on the contrary, committed to pursing peace.

The president was responding to a reporter’s question about the ongoing cross-strait tensions and China’s apparent use of large-scale military exercises around Taiwan whenever Lai, whom Beijing strongly opposes, delivered key speeches over the past year.

Since Lai of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) took office on May 20, 2024, Beijing has also intensified its gray-zone tactics — coercive actions that stop short of direct military conflict or war — including the alleged sabotage of undersea cables by Chinese vessels.

Meanwhile, Lai has toughened his cross-strait policy in recent months, drawing a difference from the more moderate approach adopted by his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen.

In March, he described China as a “foreign hostile force” when he accused China of rising infiltrations, spying activities, and united-front work against Taiwan and pledged multiple measures in response to those national security threats.

The pledged measures include reinstating military courts, tightening controls on cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two sides, and expanding the screening of cross-strait flows of talent, goods, and capital, among others.

Despite his branding China as an “aggressor,” Lai reiterated on May 20 his openness to continuing exchanges and collaborations with China provided that each side treats the other equally and with respect.

According to The Japan Times newspaper, Taiwan is prepared to talk to China as equals but it will continue to build up its defences, Lai Ching-te said as he marked his first year in office.

Lai, a staunch defender of Taiwan’s sovereignty and detested by Beijing, delivered wide-ranging remarks on the need “to prepare for war to avoid war” and also bolster the island’s economic resilience. After promising to stand up to China and defend democracy at his inauguration, Lai insisted Taiwan was “willing” to communicate with Beijing if there was “parity and dignity.” 

China has rebuffed Lai’s previous offers to talk.

“Peace is priceless and there are no winners in war,” Lai said, but added “we cannot have illusions” and vowed to continue “to strengthen our national defence capabilities.”

Taiwan will “actively cooperate with international allies, shoulder to shoulder to exert the power of deterrence, to prepare for war to avoid war, and to achieve the goal of peace,” Lai told journalists at the Presidential Office.

China, which claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to annex it, has held several rounds of large-scale military drills around the island since Lai took office.

Taiwan’s coast guard warned on May 19 that China may use “cognitive warfare” to “disrupt public morale” as Lai marks the first anniversary of his inauguration.

As Taiwan comes under pressure from Washington to move more factories to U.S. soil and reduce their trade imbalance, Lai said Taiwan would not “put all our eggs in one basket.”

Taiwan would increase its economic resilience by diversifying markets and boosting domestic demand. Lai also announced plans to set up a sovereign wealth fund to “boost Taiwan’s economic momentum,” but he did not provide details about its size.

The president has seen his first term in the top job engulfed in domestic political turmoil as opposition parties, which control parliament, seek to stymie his agenda.

The main opposition Kuomintang party (KMT) has called Lai a “dictator” and accused him of pushing Taiwan closer to war with China, while Lai’s DPP suggests the KMT is a tool of Beijing and is undermining Taiwan’s security.

Tensions have escalated into physical fights inside parliament and thousands of supporters of the DPP and opposition parties holding rival street protests.

Lai said the government wanted to “strengthen cooperation among political parties” and that his national security team would start providing “important national security briefings” to the opposition.

“On the basis of the same facts, we can exchange views frankly and sincerely, discuss national affairs, and work together to face the challenges of the country,” The Japan Times reported quoting Lai as saying.

Analysts said Lai’s remarks were more restrained than in previous speeches, which have drawn criticism from Beijing.

“Lai is dialing down the messaging and keeping Taiwan’s head low to avoid getting into anybody’s crosshairs amid this geopolitical uncertainty,” The Japan Times reported quoting Wen-Ti Sung, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub as saying.

National Cheng Kung University political science professor Wang Hung-jen said Lai “was careful to know when to stop.”

Lai has seen his approval rating fall to 45.9 percent from 58 percent nearly a year ago, according to a survey by Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation in April. His disapproval rating rose to 45.7 percent — the highest since he took office — which the polling group linked to the Lai government’s handling of U.S. tariffs on Taiwan and the DPP’s unprecedented recall campaign targeting the opposition.

DPP supporters are seeking to unseat around 30 KMT lawmakers through a legal process that allows legislators to be removed before the end of their term.

While the threshold for a successful recall is high, the DPP only needs to win six seats to wrest back control of parliament.