Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said Tuesday that “a threat from China to any country is a threat to the world,” and stressed to lawmakers from more than 20 countries that global democracies must unite against “authoritarian expansion.”
China has in recent years continued to exert military and political pressure on democratic Taiwan, which Beijing claims as part of its territory.
Although Taipei officially has only about a dozen diplomatic allies, it continues to forge partnerships with democracies around the world, especially with the United States (US) as its largest arms supplier. Meanwhile, Beijing continues to emphasize that unification is a “must.”
On Tuesday (July 30), Lai attended a summit of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), a group of parliamentarians from countries such as Uruguay, Canada, Japan and the UK. They are concerned about the way democratic countries interact with Beijing.
Lai appreciated the presence of 49 parliamentarians from 23 countries and the European Parliament in Taipei, saying the delegation demonstrated the “importance and support” that various countries give to Taiwan.
“They send an important message to democratic partners around the world: democracy needs unity and protection,” he said.
“I want to emphasize that China's threat to any country is a threat to the entire world. Taiwan will make every effort to work with democratic partners to strengthen the democratic umbrella and protect democratic countries from the threat of authoritarian expansion,” he said.
Lai, who took office on May 20, is considered by China to be a “dangerous separatist” because of his strong commitment to Taiwan's sovereignty.
Three days after his inauguration, China held war games, surrounding the island with fighter jets and naval vessels as “punishment” for Lai's inauguration speech, which Beijing said was a “recognition of Taiwan's independence.”
Lai reiterated on Tuesday (30/7) that Taiwan must “prepare for war to avoid war, and achieve peace through strength”.
“We are also ready to hold dialogue rather than confrontation with China, and exchanges rather than detention based on the principle of mutual respect and dignity, to reduce conflict and achieve peace and stability,” he said.
In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian called on IPAC lawmakers to “set aside their ideological prejudices and stop using the Taiwan issue to interfere in China’s internal affairs.”
He also denounced the “Lai Ching-te regime's attempts to 'achieve independence' by using violence” as “futile.”
“You can never hold back the great historical current of China's unification which is inevitable and inescapable,” Lin said. (ah/ft)
