Taiwanese President’s Declaration of CCP as ‘Foreign Hostile Force’ Closely Tied to Trump’s Strategy: Experts

Since Taiwan’s democratization, this is the first time a president has declared communist China a foreign hostile force of the self-ruled island.

Taiwanese president Lai Ching-te held a press conference after a high-level national security meeting on March 13, 2025. Courtesy of the Office of the President, Republic of China

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s recent declaration of communist China as a “foreign hostile force” and the restoration of the country’s military tribunal system have sparked widespread attention.

Observers say that Lai’s statement regarding the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) closely relates to the Trump administration’s strategy toward the regime and the overall international situation.

On March 13, Lai held a press conference following a high-level national security meeting. He announced 17 major strategies to address the national security threats Taiwan now faces from the CCP.

He said that the meeting was held in response to the CCP’s infiltration and other tactics aimed at annexing Taiwan. He called on every Taiwanese citizen to actively participate in safeguarding democracy and freedom, to enhance their understanding of the CCP’s “united front tactics” to expand its influence, and to reject any activities that undermine national interests.

US–Taiwan Cooperation

Sheng Xue, a Canadian writer and vice president of the Federation for a Democratic China, said that Lai’s statement is closely related to the international situation, especially the Trump administration’s policy toward China.

Since President Donald Trump took office, confrontations between the two countries have escalated across the board, including the State Department distinguishing the CCP from the Chinese people and the United States trying to hold the CCP responsible for covering up the pandemic. It’s foreseeable that the U.S. will push for harsher sanctions against the CCP, Sheng told The Epoch Times.

Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) nations on March 14 signaled a hard line on the CCP as they affirmed opposition to any unilateral attempts to alter Taiwan’s status by coercion.

All these moves are bound to provide Lai with stronger political support. His statement was a reflection of the overall international situation, she said.

Yuan Hongbing, an Australia-based former law professor at Peking University, concurred.

The United States has now recognized the CCP’s expansion of communist totalitarianism as its primary enemy and is working to shift its national focus from Europe to the Asia-Pacific, Yuan told The Epoch Times.

“Taiwan, as an ally of the United States, of course, must align with Trump’s policies to jointly curb the expansionist ambitions of the CCP’s tyranny and counter its military ambitions to invade Taiwan,” he said.

Since Taiwan’s democratization, this is the first time a president has declared that communist China is a foreign hostile force of the self-ruled island.

Yuan said Lai’s clear positioning against the CCP demonstrates Taiwan’s firm determination to uphold its national sovereignty, protect its way of life based on freedom and democracy, and ensure that the Taiwanese people can decide their own destiny and future.

CCP Military Threats

Lai’s speech came on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the CCP’s enactment of the “Anti-Secession Law.”

On March 14, one day after the speech, the CCP authorities held an event to mark the law’s anniversary. Song Tao, head of the CCP’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said that the law permits “using non-peaceful means to prevent Taiwan’s independence,” which can be seen as a stern warning to Taiwan.

In response, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council stated that the law has no power over the Taiwanese people or the sovereignty of the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan’s official name.

Beijing’s actions only serve to alienate Taiwan, increase mutual hostilities, and obstruct diplomacy across the strait, said Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng.

The CCP’s military aircraft and naval ships are continuously operating around the Taiwan Strait, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense.

Guards raise Taiwan's national flag on the Democracy Boulevard at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei on Nov. 29, 2024. I-Hwa Cheng/AFP via Getty Images

Disrupting Legislature, Shifting Focus

Yuan previously revealed that CCP leader Xi Jinping believes he can secure a deal with Trump on Taiwan.

Xi’s trusted aide, Song Tao, emphasized three key points in a 2025 work plan from the Taiwan Affairs Office. They included continuing to support and encourage anti-U.S. sentiment within Taiwan and further strengthening the influence of the “Blue-White Coalition”—a coalition between the two major opposition parties in Taiwan, the Kuomintang and the Taiwan People’s Party—in Taiwan’s legislative body, to attempt to sway U.S. and Japan on Taiwan, according to Yuan’s sources in China.

Xi’s administration aims to destabilize Taiwan’s constitutional system from within through proxies, attempting to weaken the Lai administration, Yuan told The Epoch Times in the March 14 interview.

He said the CCP aims to “destroy Taiwan’s defense capabilities and undermine Taiwan-U.S. relations” through opposition-proposed national budget cuts.

“The current large-scale recall movement initiated by the Taiwanese public shows, through the results of the first phase of petitions, the shifting public opinion in Taiwan,” he said.

Civil groups in Taiwan have recently launched a widespread recall movement targeting the opposition party Kuomintang. According to a March 10 announcement by the Central Election Commission, 35 Kuomintang legislators and one independent legislator have entered the second phase of the recall petition, while recall petitions for four Democratic Progressive Party legislators and three councilors failed in the first phase and are pending supplementary documents.

Sheng Xue said that the recall movement in Taiwan should not be prolonged, as it would shift the focus away from the Lai administration’s operations, and that the CCP seeks to provoke internal conflict within Taiwan.

By publicly addressing the issue, Lai can redirect the focus to the CCP’s actions, she said.

In the March 13 speech, Lai also mentioned that the CCP aims to sow discord within Taiwanese society, causing the nation to become preoccupied with internal conflicts and overlook external threats.