Taiwan President Lai Ching-te warned Wednesday that China's “growing authoritarianism will not stop on the island” and urged democratic nations to unite to curb its expansion.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, and a senior Chinese Communist Party official said Tuesday that Beijing is confident of “complete reunification” with the island.
Speaking at the annual Ketagalan Forum on Indo-Pacific security in Taipei, Lai warned that Taiwan was not Beijing's “only target.”
“We are all fully aware that China’s growing authoritarianism will not stop at Taiwan, and Taiwan is not the only target of China’s economic pressure,” he told politicians and scholars from 11 countries attending the forum.
“China is intent on changing the rules-based international order. That is why democratic countries must unite and take concrete action. Only by working together can we curb the expansion of its authoritarianism.”
Lai, who was appointed on May 20, has been branded a “dangerous separatist” by China for his steadfast defense of Taiwan's sovereignty.
Beijing has stepped up military and political pressure on Taiwan in recent years, and launched war games days after Lai's inauguration, surrounding the island with fighter jets and naval vessels.
Taiwan's military reports almost daily sightings of Chinese warships in its waters, as well as fighter jets and drones around the island.
Lai said China’s “military expansionism” was happening elsewhere, referring to Beijing’s joint exercises with Russia in the South China Sea, the Western Pacific and the Sea of Japan.
“Such actions are intended to intimidate China's neighbors and undermine regional peace and stability,” he said.
“Taiwan will not be intimidated. We will shoulder the responsibility of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
Lai has repeatedly offered talks with Beijing but talks have stalled since the 2016 election of his predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen, who has long said Taiwan is not part of China.
“Taiwan will not give in or provoke… On the terms of equality and dignity, we are willing to have dialogue and cooperate with China,” Lai said Wednesday.
China's foreign ministry hit back on Wednesday afternoon, with spokesman Mao Ning insisting that Taiwan is an “inalienable part of China's territory” and accusing Lai's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of misleading the public.
“No matter what they say or do, they cannot change the fact that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to China, nor can they stop the historical trend of China’s eventual reunification,” he said at a regular press conference. (ab/ns)
