Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-toku vowed on Thursday to resist China's annexation of the autonomous island nation as the island celebrated its 113th anniversary, prompting a harsh reaction from Beijing.
In a high-profile speech at a National Day ceremony in Taipei, Lai praised Taiwan's economic and technological progress and vowed to protect its sovereignty.
“The People's Republic of China has no right to represent Taiwan,” he said. “I also stand by my promise to resist annexation and violations of our sovereignty.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning responded to the speech, calling it an “attempt to sever historical ties” between the countries and an effort aimed at “propagating different versions” of Taiwanese independence. criticized Mr. Rai.
“It has once again been exposed that he is passionate about promoting Taiwanese independence and has malicious intent to escalate tensions across the Taiwan Strait for his selfish political interests.” Mao Zedong said at a press conference on Thursday..
Mr. Lai, who took over as president in May, has insisted on maintaining current relations with China and has vowed that his island will resist any Chinese aggression.
China, which historically considers Taiwan to be part of the mainland, could launch military drills and drills after Thursday's speech, a tactic Beijing has often deployed to intimidate Taiwanese citizens. This will also include large-scale exercises after Mr. Yori took office.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has instructed the military to be ready by 2027 for a possible invasion of Taiwan, but this date does not mean a conflict will break out that year.
Still, the United States, which has unofficial ties with Taiwan, has pledged to support the island, including with weapons, and has a military ready by 2027.
public opinion poll released this week According to a survey by the Chicago Council on International Affairs, 51% of Americans think the United States should encourage Taiwan to maintain the status quo, while 36% support a move toward independence. 4% supported unification with China.
But the poll also found that 58% of Americans oppose putting the U.S. military in a position to fight China.
a Another poll by a Taiwanese think tank It found that while most Taiwanese take the threat from China seriously, about 61% do not think an attack will occur in the next five years.
