Taiwan President Lai Ching-te dismissed suggestions that Taiwan’s standing in the world would be diminished after the island lost another diplomatic ally to Beijing earlier this year.
“In the case that our diplomatic allies decide to switch allegiances to the People’s Republic of China, while we wish them well, such harmful actions by the PRC will not affect Taiwan’s status as a beacon of freedom and a bastion of democracy in the world,” Mr. Lai said. “We are not deeply worried.”
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has long sought to isolate Taiwan on the global stage as part of its broad efforts to force the self-ruled island into giving up its sovereignty and accepting the Party’s rule. These efforts have intensified since 2016, when Tsai Ing-wen began the first of her two terms in office as a member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which the Chinese regime has branded as “separatist.”
Mr. Lai, also a DPP member, said that Taiwan has worked with its diplomatic allies “in a sincere way” based on the principles of “mutual benefit and reciprocity.”
“We cherish the friendships with our diplomatic allies and thank them for voicing support for Taiwan in the international community,” Mr. Lai said. “We also greatly value the cooperation projects we have with our diplomatic allies because these help the people of both countries.”
‘Independent Country’
Mr. Lai also addressed questions about his inauguration speech on May 20, particularly over his comment that China and Taiwan “are not subordinate to each other.” He was asked whether the statement was “unnecessarily provocative in hindsight,” given China launched two-day military drills around Taiwan three days after his speech.“What I said was the truth. … I stated this in accordance with Articles 2 and 3 of the ROC Constitution, given that [in] Taiwan we have our own people, land, sovereignty, and government,” Mr. Lai told Time, referring to Taiwan’s official name, the Republic of China.
“According to international law, we are already a sovereign and independent country,” he added.
The United States broke off diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1979 in favor of communist China, but it is the island’s biggest arms supplier.
Mr. Lai was asked whether he was worried that CCP leader Xi Jinping “is becoming emboldened and impatient about resolving the so-called Taiwan issue.”
“Peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are indispensable elements of global peace and prosperity,” Mr. Lai told Time. “We will neither yield nor provoke. We will maintain the status quo and fulfill our responsibilities.
“I invite President Xi to jointly shoulder with us the responsibility of maintaining peace and stability, building regional prosperity, and advancing world peace,” he added.
“Even as China’s economy has continued to decline, Taiwan’s economy has continued to grow and has not been affected by China,” Mr. Lai said. “Taiwan’s new government is willing to assist China and advance peace and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait.”