Taiwan President Lai Ching-te holds a press conference to mark his first month in office in Taipei, Taiwan, June 19, 2024. | Photo credit: REUTERS
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Wednesday that China is trying to pressure the self-ruled island, but will not bow to pressure.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and says it will not resist the use of force to control Beijing.
In recent years, Beijing has increased military and political pressure on the Taipei government, with the latest show of force coming three days after Mr Lai’s inauguration, as China waged war games around the island.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday marking his first month in office, Mr Lai said: “The annexation of Taiwan is the national policy of the People’s Republic of China”.
“In addition to military force, they are increasingly using non-traditional coercive methods to try to force Taiwan to submit,” he said.
“However, Taiwan will not bow to pressure. The Taiwanese people will resolutely defend national sovereignty and uphold a democratic and free constitutional way of life.”
China said the war games – launched days after Mr Lai’s inauguration on May 20 – were “punishment” for his opening speech, which Beijing called a “recognition of Taiwan’s independence”.
Surrounding Taiwan with warships, fighter jets and coastguard ships, China said the three-day exercise – dubbed Joint Sword-2024A – was a test of its ability to seize control of the island.
After the exercise, Beijing vowed military pressure would continue “as long as the provocation of ‘Taiwan independence’ continues”.
selling US weapons
Taiwan – separated from China by a narrow 180 kilometer (110 mile) strait – has its own government, military and currency.
As China increases pressure across the island, Taiwan seeks to strengthen economic ties with friendly countries while increasing military purchases from the United States, a key partner.
The United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979 but remains Taiwan’s largest arms supplier, prompting repeated condemnation from China.
On Tuesday, the US Pentagon in Washington announced the approval of two arms sales to Taiwan: $300 million in unmanned aerial vehicles, and $60.2 million in equipment including more than 700 Switchblades – precision-guided miniature missiles.
Taiwan’s defense ministry on Wednesday thanked Washington for approving the deal, which will take place within a month.
“In the face of the Chinese Communist Party’s frequent military operations in Taiwan, the US side in this case agreed to sell weapons that … can quickly respond to enemy threats,” the ministry said in a statement.
Earlier this month, Washington also approved the sale of equipment and spare parts for F-16 fighter jets worth about $300 million.
Mr. Lai on Wednesday thanked the United States for its support, saying it needed to develop “resilience” in Taiwan’s defense strategy.
“Taiwanese people like peace and kindness to others, but peace must be supported by strength. To achieve peace with readiness is a way to prevent conflict,” he said.
The new president is considered a “dangerous separatist” by China and has come close to his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen’s rhetoric, saying Taiwan does not need to officially declare independence because it is “already independent”.
Mr Lai and Mr Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party have long asserted Taiwan’s sovereignty, and China has not held top-level communications with Taipei since 2016.
During his opening speech, Mr. Lai signaled openness to continuing dialogue with Beijing, urging both sides to expand exchanges.
However, China appears to be reneging on that promise.
It continues to maintain naval vessels and fighter jets around the island on a daily basis, a so-called gray zone tactic that cannot be directly implemented but could damage Taiwan’s military.
In recent months, Chinese coast guard ships have also been seen around Taiwan’s islands, sometimes entering restricted waters.
Taiwan’s coast guard deputy chief Hsieh Ching-chin said on Wednesday that in the first 14 days of June, the agency had detected an average of four Chinese coast guard ships in the waters around the Taipei-administered island of Kinmen.
