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Taiwan’s new president, Lai Ching-de, called on the Chinese government to work together to achieve peace and common prosperity rather than threaten the homeland, as he took the oath of office amid heightened tensions in the Taiwan Strait. .
China should “cease verbal attacks and military threats…” In his inaugural address on Monday, Mr. Lai said, “We will shoulder global responsibilities together with Taiwan, work to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the region, and We will strive to free the people from the horrors of war.”
Lai appealed to Beijing to cooperate with Taiwan’s democratically elected government and called for mutual tourism exchanges and a resumption of programs to bring Chinese students to Taiwan.
Senior officials in the incoming Rai administration said the promise to resume exchanges was a concrete sign of goodwill. Beijing blames Taiwan for the near-total collapse of cross-strait exchanges, but Taipei claims China is preventing it from resuming plans.
The Chinese Communist Party insists that Taiwan is part of China and has threatened to use force to take control of the island if Taipei resists unification indefinitely. The government has accused Lai of being a “dangerous separatist,” rhetoric even more hostile than his rejection of his predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen.
Seeking to reassure the U.S., Lai quoted many of the same words Tsai – whose wise China policy has drawn praise overseas – used to describe Taiwan’s status and its relationship with China.
Mr. Lai vowed that the government would “maintain the status quo without yielding or provoking” across the Taiwan Strait and “uphold Mr. Tsai’s four promises,” including upholding a free and democratic constitutional system.
Another promise is that the Republic of China (Taiwan’s official name) and the People’s Republic of China should not be subordinated to each other. resisting annexation or violation of Taiwan’s sovereignty; and ensure that the country’s future must be determined according to the will of the Taiwanese people.
“The future of both sides of the strait will have a decisive impact on world affairs, so we… They will be at the helm of peace,” Lai said.
Mr. Lai also called on the Chinese government to recognize the existence of the Republic of China, which was also borrowed from Mr. Tsai’s words. The Republic of China was established on the mainland and remained in Taiwan even after its defeat in China’s 1949 communist revolution.
But he added his own note about national identity, saying: [it is] Republic of China, Republic of China Taiwan, or Taiwan, these names [that] We all resonate and shine in the same way, ourselves and the international friends we call home. ”
Although the Chinese Communist Party refuses to recognize the Republic of China, Chinese leaders are even more wary of references to “Taiwan,” which are often interpreted as a signal of support for Taiwan’s independence.
Danny Russell, deputy director for international security and diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said: “Mr Lai’s statement that prosperous coexistence should be a common goal for both countries suggests either peaceful development or conflict. “This reflects the Chinese government’s recent call for people to choose.”
But Russell, who served as assistant secretary of state under President Barack Obama, added that his pledge to maintain the status quo and not yield or provoke is “certainly not entirely consistent with the Chinese government.” . “Other than “unconditional surrender,” there is virtually nothing Mr. Lai has said that will satisfy the Chinese government.”
Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the China Taiwan Affairs Office, on Monday called Lai a “leader of the Taiwan region” and accused him of “blatantly promoting the fallacy of separatism and inciting cross-strait conflict.” .
Chen added, “Taiwan independence and peace across the Taiwan Strait are like fire and water.” “No matter how the situation on the island changes, no matter who is in power, the fact that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China cannot be changed.”
Mr. Lai also faces attempts by opposition parties to expand the powers of parliament (which lacks a majority) and weaken security legislation. On Monday, he urged domestic rivals to avoid seeking political gains at the expense of national interests.
He pledged to leverage Taiwan’s strengths in the semiconductor industry to expand Taiwan’s global role, and worked to make the country’s economic growth more inclusive and strengthen its social security.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States would “work with President Lai and the entire Taiwan political spectrum to advance our common interests and values, deepen long-standing informal relations, and promote peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.” He said he looks forward to “maintaining it.”
In his congratulatory address, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi called Taiwan a “very important partner and important friend” and expressed his hopes for further deepening ties.
Additional reporting from Beijing by Wenjie Ding
