Camille Naredo

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te speaks at the Republic of China (ROC) Military Academy during the academy's 100th anniversary ceremony in Kaohsiung on June 16, 2024. Sam Yeh, AFP/File

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te speaks at the Republic of China (ROC) Military Academy during the academy's 100th anniversary ceremony in Kaohsiung on June 16, 2024. (Photo by Sam Yeh / AFP)

Article (news)

TAIWAN

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1747719221461AFP__20240616__34WZ84D__v1__HighRes__TaiwanDefenceMilitaryAnniversary.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="Taiwan President Lai Ching-te speaks at the Republic of China (ROC) Military Academy during the academy&#x27;s 100th anniversary ceremony in Kaohsiung on June 16, 2024. Sam Yeh, AFP/File"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Taiwan President Lai Ching-te speaks at the Republic of China (ROC) Military Academy during the academy&#x27;s 100th anniversary ceremony in Kaohsiung on June 16, 2024. <em>Sam Yeh, AFP/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taiwan is prepared to talk to China as equals but it will continue to build up its defenses, the island&#x27;s President Lai Ching-te said Tuesday as he marked his first year in office.</p><p>Lai, a staunch defender of Taiwan&#x27;s sovereignty and detested by Beijing, delivered wide-ranging remarks on the need &quot;to prepare for war to avoid war&quot; and also bolster the island&#x27;s economic resilience.</p><p>After promising to stand up to China and defend democracy at his inauguration, Lai insisted Taiwan was &quot;willing&quot; to communicate with Beijing if there was &quot;parity and dignity&quot;.</p><p>China has rebuffed Lai&#x27;s previous offers to talk.</p><p>&quot;Peace is priceless and there are no winners in war,&quot; Lai said, but added &quot;we cannot have illusions&quot; and vowed to continue &quot;to strengthen our national defence capabilities&quot;.</p><p>Taiwan will &quot;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,&quot; Lai told journalists at the Presidential Office.</p><p>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.</p><p>Taiwan&#x27;s coast guard warned Monday that China may use &quot;cognitive warfare&quot; to &quot;disrupt public morale&quot; as Lai marks the first anniversary of his inauguration.</p><p>As Taiwan comes under pressure from Washington to move more factories to US soil and reduce their trade imbalance, Lai said Taiwan would not &quot;put all our eggs in one basket&quot;.</p><p>Taiwan would increase its economic resilience by diversifying markets and boosting domestic demand.</p><p>Lai also announced plans to set up a sovereign wealth fund to &quot;boost Taiwan&#x27;s economic momentum&quot;, but did not provide details about its size.</p><p>The president has seen his first term in the top job engulfed in domestic political turmoil as opposition parties, which control the parliament, seek to stymie his agenda.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/2/12/taiwan-detects-62-chinese-aircraft-as-us-ships-transit-waters-1747">READ: Taiwan detects 62 Chinese aircraft as US ships transit waters</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/3/13/taiwan-plans-to-reinstate-military-judges-for-china-spy-cases-1905">READ: Taiwan plans to reinstate military judges for China spy cases</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>- Falling approval rating -</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tenV-cj_kus?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><p>The main opposition Kuomintang party (KMT) has called Lai a &quot;dictator&quot; and accused him of pushing Taiwan closer to war with China, while Lai&#x27;s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) suggests the KMT is a tool of Beijing and is undermining Taiwan&#x27;s security.</p><p>Tensions have escalated into physical fights inside parliament and thousands of supporters of the DPP and opposition parties holding rival street protests.</p><p>On Tuesday, Lai said the government wanted to &quot;strengthen cooperation among political parties&quot; and that his national security team would start providing &quot;important national security briefings&quot; to the opposition.</p><p>&quot;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,&quot; Lai said.</p><p>Analysts said Lai&#x27;s remarks were more restrained than in previous speeches, which have drawn criticism from Beijing.</p><p>&quot;Lai is dialing down the messaging and keeping Taiwan&#x27;s head low to avoid getting into anybody&#x27;s crosshairs amid this geopolitical uncertainty,&quot; Wen-Ti Sung, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council&#x27;s Global China Hub, told AFP.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/4/4/china-floats-battle-barges-in-taiwan-invasion-plans-1614" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">READ: China floats battle barges in Taiwan invasion plans</a></div><p>National Cheng Kung University political science professor Wang Hung-jen said Lai &quot;was careful to know when to stop&quot;.</p><p>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.</p><p>His disapproval rating rose to 45.7 percent -- the highest since he took office -- which the polling group linked to the Lai government&#x27;s handling of US tariffs on Taiwan and the DPP&#x27;s unprecedented recall campaign targeting the opposition.</p><p>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.</p><p>While the threshold for a successful recall is high, the DPP only needs to win six seats to wrest back control of parliament.</p><p>A rival campaign to unseat 15 DPP members has been embroiled in controversy after KMT staffers were accused of forging the signatures of dead people.</p><p>The KMT has also threatened to recall Lai.</p><div><strong>-- Amber Wang and Joy Chiang</strong></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>Taiwan is prepared to talk to China as equals but it will continue to build up its defences, the island's President Lai Ching-te said Tuesday as he marked his first year in office.</p>

Taiwan is prepared to talk to China as equals but it will continue to build up its defences, the island's President Lai Ching-te said Tuesday as he marked his first year in office.

Taiwan says 'willing' to talk to China as island boosts defenses

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Taiwan says 'willing' to talk to China as island boosts defenses

Agence France-Presse

Published May 20, 2025 02:03 PM PHT

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