Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te holds a press conference to mark his first month in office in Taipei, Taiwan, June 19, 2024.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said Wednesday that China was attempting to force the self-ruled island into submission but that it would not bow to pressure.

China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has said it will never renounce the use of force to bring it under Beijing’s control.

In recent years, Beijing has upped military and political pressure on the Taipei government, with the latest show of force coming three days after Mr. Lai’s inauguration, when China conducted war games around the island.

Speaking at a Wednesday press conference marking his first month in office, Mr. Lai said: “The annexation of Taiwan is a national policy of the People’s Republic of China”.

“In addition to military force, they have increasingly employed non-traditional methods of coercion to try to force Taiwan into submission,” he said.

“However, Taiwan will not bow to the pressure. The people of Taiwan will resolutely defend national sovereignty and uphold the democratic and free constitutional way of life.”

China had said the war games – launched days after Mr. Lai’s May 20 inauguration – were “punishment” for his inaugural speech, which Beijing dubbed a “confession of Taiwan independence”.

Encircling Taiwan with warships, fighter jets and coastguard vessels, China said the three-day drills – dubbed Joint Sword-2024A – were a test of its ability to seize control of the island.

After the exercises, Beijing vowed military pressure would continue “as long as ‘Taiwan independence’ provocations continue”.

U.S. weapons sale

Taiwan – separated from China by a narrow 180-kilometre (110-mile) strait – has its own government, military and currency.

As China has increased pressures around the island, Taiwan has sought to strengthen economic ties with friendly countries while ramping up military purchases from the United States, a key partner.

The United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979 but it has remained Taiwan’s biggest arms supplier, sparking repeated condemnations from China.

On Tuesday, the US Pentagon in Washington announced the approval of two arms sales to Taiwan: $300 million in unmanned aerial vehicles, and $60.2 million for equipment including more than 700 Switchblades – a miniature, precision-guided missile.

Taiwan’s defence ministry on Wednesday thanked Washington for the approval of the deals, which are expected to take effect in a month’s time.

“In the face of the Chinese Communist Party’s frequent military operations around Taiwan, the US side in this case agreed to sell arms items that… can respond quickly to enemy threats,” the ministry said in a statement.

Earlier this month, Washington also approved the sale of equipment and parts for F-16 fighter jets worth approximately $300 million.

Mr. Lai on Wednesday thanked the United States for its support, reiterating the need to develop “resilience” in Taiwan’s defence strategy.

“The people of Taiwan love peace and are kind to others, but peace must be backed by strength. Achieving peace through preparedness is the way to avoid conflict,” he said.

The new president is regarded as a “dangerous separatist” by China and has hewed closely to the rhetoric of his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen, saying that there is no need for Taiwan to formally declare independence as it is “already independent”.

Mr. Lai and Mr. Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party has long asserted Taiwanese sovereignty, and China has not conducted top-level communications with Taipei since 2016.

During his inaugural speech, Mr. Lai signalled an openness to resuming dialogue with Beijing, calling for both sides to develop exchanges.

China, however, has appeared to rebuff those overtures.

It continues to maintain a near-daily presence of naval vessels and warplanes around the island, so-called grey zone tactics that fall short of an outright act of war but serve to exhaust Taiwan’s military.

In recent months, Chinese coast guard ships have also been spotted around Taiwan’s outlying islands, at times briefly entering its restricted waters.

Taiwan’s deputy coast guard head Hsieh Ching-chin said Wednesday that in the first 14 days of June, the agency had detected an average of four Chinese coast guard vessels in waters around the Taipei-administered island of Kinmen.

Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te. File
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

President Lai Ching-te warned cadets of Taiwan’s military academy on Sunday that their biggest challenge was “the strong rise of China”, which he said regards the “elimination” of the self-ruled island as a national cause.

China claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory, and Chinese leaders have escalated their rhetoric in recent years to suggest “unification” is an “inevitability”.

Beijing has also stepped up military pressures, most recently launching war games that encircled the island with warplanes and naval vessels days after Mr. Lai was sworn into office last month.

Speaking Sunday at the centennial anniversary of the founding of Taiwan’s Whampoa military academy, Mr. Lai said teachers and cadets must recognise “the challenges and missions of the new era”.

“The greatest challenge is to face the strong rise of China, which has been destroying the status quo in the Taiwan Strait,” he said.

“(It) aims for the annexation and the elimination of the Republic of China for its cause of great national revival,” Mr. Lai said, referring to Taiwan by its official name.

“The highest mission is to bravely take up the heavy responsibility and grand task of protecting Taiwan, and safeguarding the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”

The academy was founded in 1924 in Guangzhou, southern China. It moved to Kaohsiung, in southern Taiwan, after the defeated Nationalists fled to the island in 1949.

Mr. Lai is regarded as a “dangerous separatist” by China, which said before the launch of war games in May that his inaugural speech was akin to a “confession of Taiwan independence”.

Mr. Lai had vowed in his speech to defend Taiwan’s democracy and freedom, while also calling for dialogue with China – which has been severed since 2016.

Like his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen, Mr. Lai maintains that Taiwan does not need to have a formal declaration of independence – a redline for China – as it is “already independent”.

Taiwan’s new president said Sunday he was still ready to work with China, despite this week’s military drills around the self-ruled island.

Three days after Lai Ching-te was sworn in, Chinese warships and fighter jets encircled Taiwan in drills that China said were a test of its ability to seize the island.

During the two-day drills, China vowed that “independence forces” would be left “with their heads broken and blood flowing”.

Lai told reporters on Sunday that he wanted Taiwan and China to “jointly shoulder the important responsibility of regional stability”.

“I also look forward to enhancing mutual understanding and reconciliation through exchanges and cooperation with China… and moving towards a position of peace and common prosperity,” he said at an event in Taipei.

Communications between China and Taiwan were severed in 2016 after former president Tsai Ing-wen took office, pledging to defend Taiwan’s sovereignty.

Lai, who comes from the same Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as Tsai, has vowed to maintain her policies of building up Taiwan’s defence capabilities, while remaining open to dialogue with China and strengthening relations with the island’s partners — particularly the United States.

But China said Lai’s inaugural speech on Monday amounted to calls for independence, “pushing our compatriots in Taiwan into a perilous situation of war and danger”.

“Every time ‘Taiwan independence’ provokes us, we will push our countermeasures one step further, until the complete reunification of the motherland is achieved,” defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian said on Friday.

Wen-Ti Sung, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub, told AFP that Lai would “hold firm to project resolve” after this first interaction between his administration and Beijing.

“However, he will no doubt be looking to leverage other international partners and friends to help facilitate more back-channel communications with Beijing,” Sung said.

On Sunday night, the United States’ de facto embassy announced that Republican Congressman Michael McCaul will lead a delegation to visit Taiwan from Sunday to Thursday “to discuss US-Taiwan relations, regional security, trade and investment”.

Taiwan’s presidential spokesperson Wen Lii said the delegation will be meeting with Lai on Monday.

The visit “conveys an expression of support for the new administration and the people of Taiwan through concrete actions,” he said.

Intimidation tactics

Since 2016, China has upped military and political pressures on Taiwan, and its naval vessels, drones and warplanes maintain a near-daily presence around the island.

The dispute has long made the Taiwan Strait one of the world’s most dangerous flashpoints.

During this week’s drills, fighter jets loaded with live ammunition scrambled towards targets and bombers formed formations to combine with warships to simulate “strikes against important targets”, China’s state broadcaster CCTV said.

Tong Zhen, from China’s Academy of Military Sciences, told state news agency Xinhua that the drills “mainly targeted the ringleaders and political centre of ‘Taiwan independence’, and involved simulated precision strikes on key political and military targets”.

Meng Xiangqing, a professor from Beijing-based National Defense University, told Xinhua that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) vessels “were getting closer to the island than ever before”.

“The drills have shown that we can control that eastern area,” Meng said, referring to the direction considered by the PLA the most likely from which external intervention could come.

The United States, which does not diplomatically recognise Taiwan but is its biggest ally and arms supplier, on Saturday urged China to “act with restraint”.

Experts say Beijing is seeking to intimidate and exhaust Taiwan’s military.

On Sunday, two days after the drills ended, Taiwan’s defence ministry reported that seven Chinese aircraft, 14 naval vessels and four coast guard ships were “operating around” the island in a 24-hour period ending at 06:00 am (2200 GMT Saturday).

The ministry also said in a separate statement that it had found a cardboard box containing political slogans that it said was left by Beijing on a dock in Erdan, an islet part of Taiwan-controlled Kinmen next to China’s Xiamen.

The defence ministry shrugged off the incident, saying it suspected it was intended to create online chatter.

‘Major test’

Lai’s first week in office also saw tens of thousands of people take to the streets of Taipei to protest bills proposed by the opposition Kuomintang — regarded as pro-Beijing — and the Taiwan People’s Party.

DPP lawmakers have been accusing the opposition of fast-tracking the bills — which expand parliament’s powers — without proper consultation.

With Lai’s DPP no longer holding the majority in parliament, his party will likely face challenges in passing his administration’s policies, such as bolstering the defence budget.

“The pressures are coming fast and early for the Lai administration,” Amanda Hsiao of the International Crisis Group told AFP.

“This is going to be a major test of their ability to manage multiple challenges, domestic and external, at the same time.”

Taipei:

Taiwan’s new president said Sunday he was still ready to work with China, despite this week’s military drills around the self-ruled island.

Three days after Lai Ching-te was sworn in, Chinese warships and fighter jets encircled Taiwan in drills that China said were a test of its ability to seize the island.

During the two-day drills, China vowed that “independence forces” would be left “with their heads broken and blood flowing”.

Lai told reporters on Sunday that he wanted Taiwan and China to “jointly shoulder the important responsibility of regional stability”.

“I also look forward to enhancing mutual understanding and reconciliation through exchanges and cooperation with China… and moving towards a position of peace and common prosperity,” he said at an event in Taipei.

Communications between China and Taiwan were severed in 2016 after former president Tsai Ing-wen took office, pledging to defend Taiwan’s sovereignty.

Lai, who comes from the same Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as Tsai, has vowed to maintain her policies of building up Taiwan’s defence capabilities while remaining open to dialogue with China and strengthening relations with the island’s partners — particularly the United States.

But China said Lai’s inaugural speech on Monday amounted to calls for independence, “pushing our compatriots in Taiwan into a perilous situation of war and danger”.

“Every time ‘Taiwan independence’ provokes us, we will push our countermeasures one step further, until the complete reunification of the motherland is achieved,” defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian said on Friday.

Wen-Ti Sung, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub, told AFP that Lai would “hold firm to project resolve” after this first interaction between his administration and Beijing.

“However, he will no doubt be looking to leverage other international partners and friends to help facilitate more back-channel communications with Beijing,” Sung said.

On Sunday night, the United States’ de facto embassy announced that Republican Congressman Michael McCaul will lead a delegation to visit Taiwan from Sunday to Thursday “to discuss US-Taiwan relations, regional security, trade and investment”.

Taiwan’s presidential spokesperson Wen Lii said the delegation will be meeting with Lai on Monday.

The visit “conveys an expression of support for the new administration and the people of Taiwan through concrete actions,” he said.

– Intimidation tactics –

Since 2016, China has upped military and political pressures on Taiwan, and its naval vessels, drones and warplanes maintain a near-daily presence around the island.

The dispute has long made the Taiwan Strait one of the world’s most dangerous flashpoints.

During this week’s drills, fighter jets loaded with live ammunition scrambled towards targets and bombers formed formations to combine with warships to simulate “strikes against important targets”, China’s state broadcaster CCTV said.

Tong Zhen, from China’s Academy of Military Sciences, told state news agency Xinhua that the drills “mainly targeted the ringleaders and political centre of ‘Taiwan independence’, and involved simulated precision strikes on key political and military targets”.

Meng Xiangqing, a professor from Beijing-based National Defense University, told Xinhua that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) vessels “were getting closer to the island than ever before”.

“The drills have shown that we can control that eastern area,” Meng said, referring to the direction considered by the PLA the most likely from which external intervention could come.

The United States, which does not diplomatically recognise Taiwan but is its biggest ally and arms supplier, on Saturday urged China to “act with restraint”.

Experts say Beijing is seeking to intimidate and exhaust Taiwan’s military.

On Sunday, two days after the drills ended, Taiwan’s defence ministry reported that seven Chinese aircraft, 14 naval vessels and four coast guard ships were “operating around” the island in a 24-hour period ending at 06:00 am (2200 GMT Saturday).

The ministry also said in a separate statement that it had found a cardboard box containing political slogans that it said was left by Beijing on a dock in Erdan, an islet part of Taiwan-controlled Kinmen next to China’s Xiamen.

The defence ministry shrugged off the incident, saying it suspected it was intended to create online chatter.

– ‘Major test’ –

Lai’s first week in office also saw tens of thousands of people take to the streets of Taipei to protest bills proposed by the opposition Kuomintang — regarded as pro-Beijing — and the Taiwan People’s Party.

DPP lawmakers have been accusing the opposition of fast-tracking the bills — which expand parliament’s powers — without proper consultation.

With Lai’s DPP no longer holding the majority in parliament, his party will likely face challenges in passing his administration’s policies, such as bolstering the defence budget.

“The pressures are coming fast and early for the Lai administration,” Amanda Hsiao of the International Crisis Group told AFP.

“This is going to be a major test of their ability to manage multiple challenges, domestic and external, at the same time,”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Taipei:

China ended two days of war games around Taiwan in which it simulated attacks with bombers and practiced boarding ships, exercises that Taiwan condemned as “blatant provocation” on Saturday, detailing a surge of Chinese warplanes and warships.

Chinese state television’s military channel said late on Friday the drills had concluded. A commentary in the official People’s Liberation Army Daily said they had lasted for two days from Thursday to Friday, as previously announced.

China’s defence ministry did not answer calls seeking comment on Saturday.

China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, launched the “Joint Sword – 2024A” exercises three days after Lai Ching-te became Taiwan’s president, a man Beijing calls a “separatist”.

Beijing said the exercises were “punishment” for Lai’s Monday inauguration speech, in which he said the two sides of the Taiwan Strait were “not subordinate to each other”, which China viewed as a declaration the two are separate countries.

Lai has repeatedly offered talks with China but been rebuffed. He says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future, and rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims. Taiwan’s government has condemned the drills, saying it will not be cowed by Chinese pressure.

Taiwan’s defence ministry said it had detected 62 Chinese military aircraft and 27 navy ships on Friday, including 46 planes that crossed the Taiwan Strait’s median line, which previously served as an unofficial barrier between the two sides.

Chinese aircraft, including advanced Su-30 fighters and nuclear-capable H-6 bombers, flew in the strait as well as into the Bashi Channel that separates Taiwan from the Philippines, the ministry said.

On Friday it published footage taken by Taiwanese air force planes of a Chinese J-16 fighter and an H-6 but did not say exactly where it was taken.

Taiwan’s presidential office on Saturday that China’s military moves had undermined the peaceful and stable status quo in the Taiwan Strait.

They “also constitute a blatant provocation to the international order, and have aroused serious concern and condemnation from the international community”, it said in a statement.

The Chinese military’s Eastern Theatre Command, whose forces carried out the drills, released a video on its social media accounts on Saturday called “A six-word rhyme on smashing independence”, set to stirring martial music.

The words “advance, surround, lock-down, attack, destroy and cut-off” flash up over footage of fighters, bombers, soldiers and animated mock missile attacks on Taiwan.

China has over the past four years regularly staged military activities around Taiwan, including large-scale war games in 2022 and in 2023.

However, senior Taiwan lawmaker Wang Ting-yu from Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party said the latest drills appeared to be more about China making a noise than upping the ante, given it had to respond to Lai’s speech.

“They were comparatively more restrained than previous ones,” Wang, who chairs parliament’s defence and foreign affairs committee, said on social media.

Still, China has kept up a barrage of invective against Lai.

The People’s Liberation Army Daily commentary, published as “the voice of the military”, said Lai was determined to act as a “pawn” for external forces to curb China’s development.

“If Taiwan independence separatist forces insist on going their own way or even take risks, the PLA will obey orders and take decisive action to resolutely smash all separatist plots,” it said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Ground staff members transport missiles near a Taiwan Air Force Mirage 2000-5 aircraft at Hsinchu Air Base, in Hsinchu, Taiwan.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Taiwan scrambled jets and put missile, naval and land units on alert on May 23 over Chinese military exercises being conducted around the self-governing island democracy where a new President took office this week.

China’s military said its two-day exercises around Taiwan were punishment for separatist forces seeking independence. Beijing claims the island is part of China’s national territory and the People’s Liberation Army sends navy ships and warplanes into the Taiwan Strait and other areas around the island almost daily to wear down Taiwan’s defences and seek to intimidate its people, who firmly back their de facto independence.

China’s “irrational provocation has jeopardised regional peace and stability,” the island’s Defence Ministry said. It said Taiwan will seek no conflicts but “will not shy away from one.

“This pretext for conducting military exercises not only does not contribute to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, but also shows its hegemonic nature at heart,” the Ministry’s statement said.

In his inauguration address on Monday, Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te called for Beijing to stop its military intimidation and pledged to “neither yield nor provoke” the mainland Communist Party leadership.

Lai has said he seeks dialogue with Beijing while maintaining Taiwan’s current status and avoiding conflicts that could draw in the island’s chief ally the U.S. and other regional partners such as Japan and Australia.

“The People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command said the land, navy and air exercises around Taiwan are meant to test the navy and air capabilities of the PLA units, as well as their joint strike abilities to hit targets and win control of the battlefield,” the command said on its official Weibo account.

“This is also a powerful punishment for the separatist forces seeking independence’ and a serious warning to external forces for interference and provocation,” the statement said.

The PLA also released a map of the intended exercise area, which surrounds Taiwan’s main island at five different points, as well as places such as Matsu and Kinmen, outlying islands that are closer to the Chinese mainland than Taiwan.

While China has termed the exercises as punishment for Taiwan’s election result, the Democratic Progressive Party has now run the island’s government for more than a decade, although the pro-China Nationalist Party took a one-seat majority in the Parliament.

Speaking in Australia, Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Stephen Sklenka, the deputy commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, called on Asia-Pacific nations to condemn the Chinese military exercises.

“There’s no surprise whenever there’s an action that highlights Taiwan in the international sphere the Chinese feel compelled to make some kind of form of statement,” Mr. Sklenka told the National Press Club of Australia in the capital Canberra, in a reference to Monday’s Presidential inauguration.

“Just because we expect that behavior doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t condemn it, and we need to condemn it publicly. And it needs to come from us, but it also needs to come, I believe, from nations in the region. It’s one thing when the United States condemns the Chinese, but it has a far more powerful effect, I believe, when it comes from nations within this region,” Mr. Sklenka added.

Japan’s top envoy weighed in while visiting the U.S., saying Japan and Taiwan share values and principles, including freedom, democracy, basic rights and rule of law.

“(Taiwan) is our extremely important partner that we have close economic relations and exchanges of people, and is our precious friend,” Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa told reporters in Washington, where she held talks with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

She said the two Ministers discussed Taiwan and the importance of the Taiwan Strait, one of the world’s most important waterways for shipping, remaining peaceful.

China on May 23 encircled Taiwan with naval vessels and military aircraft in war games aimed at punishing the self-ruled island after its new President vowed to defend democracy.

The two days of drills are part of an escalating campaign of intimidation by China that has seen it carry out a series of large-scale military exercises around Taiwan in recent years.

The latest show of force is a “strong punishment for the separatist acts of ‘Taiwan independence’ forces,” China’s military said as the drills got underway.

China— governed by the Communist Party since 1949— claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to bring the island under its rule, by force if necessary.

May 23 and May 24 drills involve aircraft and ships surrounding the island to test their combat capabilities, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said.

Taiwan responded by deploying air, ground and sea forces, with the island’s defence ministry vowing to “defend freedom”.

Taiwan’s presidential spokeswoman also condemned China’s “provocative military behaviour”.

The drills come after Lai Ching-te was sworn in as Taiwan’s new President this week and made an inauguration speech that China denounced as a “confession of independence”.

“In the face of the many threats and attempts of infiltration from China, we must demonstrate our resolution to defend our nation,” Mr. Lai said in his speech while hailing a “glorious” era of democracy.

China warned of strong reprisals to Lai’s speech, in which he also vowed to continue building Taiwan’s defence capabilities.

It had previously branded Mr. Lai a “dangerous separatist” who would bring “war and decline” to the island.

Kill independence

The drills, which began at 7:45 a.m. (2345 GMT May 22), are taking place in the Taiwan Strait and to the north, south and east of the island, PLA Eastern Theater Command Naval Colonel Li Xi said.

As the “Joint Sword-2024A” drills were launched, commentary on state Chinese broadcaster CCTV declared them “a powerful disciplinary action” against Taiwanese separatism.

China’s military put out a series of posters touting what it called its “cross-strait lethality”. They featured rockets, jets and naval vessels next to blood-stained text.

“The weapon aimed at ‘Taiwan independence’ to kill ‘independence’ is already in place,” it declared.

Economic blockade

Beijing, which split with Taipei at the end of a civil war 75 years ago, regards the island as a renegade province with which it must eventually be reunified.

China has stepped up pressure on the democratic island of 23 million people, periodically stoking worries about a potential invasion.

A Chinese military expert told CCTV that the drills were partly aimed at rehearsing an economic blockade of the island.

Zhang Chi, a professor at Beijing’s China National Defense University, said the drills aimed to “strangle” Taiwan’s critical Kaohsiung port to “severely impact” its foreign trade.

They would cut off “Taiwan’s lifeline of energy imports” as well as “block the support lines that some US allies provide to ‘Taiwan independence’ forces”, he added.

The last time China announced similar military exercises around Taiwan was in August last year after Mr. Lai, then vice president, stopped over in the United States on a visit to Paraguay.

Those drills also tested the PLA’s ability “to seize control of air and sea spaces” and fight “in real combat conditions”, according to state media.

They followed April drills that simulated the encirclement of the island, launched after Mr. Lai’s predecessor Tsai Ing-wen met then-U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.

China also launched major military exercises in 2022 after Nancy Pelosi, then the speaker of the US House of Representatives, visited Taiwan.

World powers are keen to see as much stability as possible between China and Taiwan, not least because of the vital role the island plays in the global economy.

The Taiwan Strait is one of the world’s most important maritime trade arteries, and the island itself is a major tech manufacturer, particularly of vital semiconductors— the tiny chips used in everything from smartphones to missile systems.

The United States switched its diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979 but remains the island’s most important ally and supplier of military hardware.

U.S. President Joe Biden has said he does not support Taiwan’s independence but also that he would back sending forces to defend the island. The official U.S. position on intervention is one of ambiguity.

The United States did not give an immediate official response to the drills.

U.S. Lieutenant General Stephen Sklenka, speaking in Canberra, described the exercises as “concerning” but not unexpected.

Taiwan’s new president, Lai Ching-te, said in his inauguration speech Monday that he wants peace with China and urged it to stop its military threats and intimidation of the self-governed island that Beijing claims as its own territory.

“I hope that China will face the reality of (Taiwan)’s existence, respect the choices of the people of Taiwan, and in good faith, choose dialogue over confrontation,” Lai said after being sworn into office.

Lai pledged to “neither yield nor provoke” Beijing and said he sought peace in relations with China. But he emphasized the island democracy is determined to defend itself “in the face of the many threats and attempts at infiltration from China.”

Lai’s party, the Democratic Progressive Party, doesn’t seek independence from China but maintains that Taiwan is already a sovereign nation.

The Chinese office in charge of Taiwan affairs criticized Lai’s inauguration speech as promoting “the fallacy of separatism,” inciting confrontation and relying on foreign forces to seek independence.

“We will never tolerate or condone any form of ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist activities,” said Chen Binhua, spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office of China’s State Council.

“No matter how the situation on the island changes, no matter who is in power, it cannot change the fact that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China … and cannot stop the historical trend of the motherland’s eventual reunification,” Chen said.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce on Monday also announced sanctions against Boeing and two other defense companies for arms sales to Taiwan.

Lai, 64, takes over from Tsai Ing-wen, who led Taiwan through eight years of economic and social development despite the COVID-19 pandemic and China’s escalating military threats. Beijing views Taiwan as a renegade province and has been upping its threats to annex it by force if necessary.

Lai is seen as inheriting Tsai’s progressive policies, including universal health care, backing for higher education and support for minority groups, including making Taiwan the first place in Asia to recognize same-sex marriages.

In his inauguration speech, Lai pledged to bolster Taiwan’s social safety net and help the island advance in fields such as artificial intelligence and green energy.

Lai, who was vice president during Tsai’s second term, came across as more of a firebrand earlier in his career. In 2017, he described himself as a “pragmatic worker for Taiwan’s independence,” drawing Beijing’s rebuke. He has since softened his stance and now supports maintaining the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and the possibility of talks with Beijing.

Thousands of people gathered in front of the Presidential Office Building in Taipei for the inauguration ceremony. Donning white celebratory hats, they watched the swearing-in on large screens, followed by a military march and colorful performances featuring folk dancers, opera performers and rappers. Military helicopters flew in formation, carrying Taiwan’s flag.

Lai accepted congratulations from fellow politicians and delegations from the 12 nations that maintain official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, as well as politicians from the U.S., Japan and various European states.

Lai, also known by his English name William, has vowed to continue his predecessor’s push to maintain stability with China while beefing up Taiwan’s security through imports of military equipment from close partner the U.S., the expansion of the defense industry with the manufacture of submarines and aircraft, and the reinforcing of regional partnerships with unofficial allies such as the U.S., Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken congratulated Lai on his inauguration. “We look forward to working with President Lai and across Taiwan’s political spectrum to advance our shared interests and values, deepen our longstanding unofficial relationship, and maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” Blinken said in a statement from his office.

The U.S. doesn’t formally recognize Taiwan as a country but is bound by its own laws to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

Japan’s government spokesperson, Yoshimasa Hayashi, said it continues to expect a peaceful settlement of the Taiwan issue through dialogue.

“The peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait is important not only for the security of Japan but the stability of all of the international community,” Hayashi said Monday.

Lai’s relatively conciliatory tone will come across as reassuring to foreign governments that may have been concerned about his past reputation as a firebrand, said Danny Russell, vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute.

“There is virtually nothing that Lai could have said, short of ‘unconditional surrender,’ that would satisfy Beijing,” he said.

Although Lai signaled he would maintain the overall direction of Tsai’s policy regarding Beijing, he struck a more sovereignty-affirming tone in his speech, said Amanda Hsiao, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group.

“This likely fits within Beijing’s low expectations of Lai, so it won’t necessarily change their response,” Hsiao said. “China was always going to respond negatively to Lai.”

During her tenure, Tsai oversaw a controversial pension and labor reform and extended the military conscription length to one year. She also kickstarted a military modernization drive.

Tsai’s leadership during the pandemic split public opinion, with most admiring Taiwan’s initial ability to keep the virus largely outside its borders but criticizing the lack of investment in rapid testing as the pandemic progressed.

Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te (C) and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (R) wave alongside outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen (L) during the inauguration ceremony at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei on May 20, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Lai Ching-te took office as Taiwan’s new President on May 20, facing an angry and deeply suspicious China that believes he is a “separatist”, and a fractious parliament with an Opposition champing at the bit to challenge him.

Mr. Lai was sworn in at the Japanese-colonial-era presidential office in central Taipei, taking over from Tsai Ing-wen, having served as her Vice President for the past four years.

Mr. Lai will express goodwill towards China in his inauguration speech on May 20 morning, and call for both sides of the Taiwan Strait to pursue peace, according to a senior official briefed on the matter.

Beijing views proudly democratic Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. Mr. Lai has offered talks, which have been rebuffed, and has been said that only Taiwan’s people can decide their future.

Taiwan has faced ongoing pressure from China, including regular air force and navy activities close to the island, since January’s election victory by Mr. Lai, who is 64 and widely known by his English name, William.

In attendance at the ceremony are former U.S. officials dispatched by President Joe Biden, lawmakers from countries including Japan, Germany and Canada, and leaders from some of the 12 countries that still maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, such as Paraguay President Santiago Pena.

Last week, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said Mr. Lai, who it called the “Taiwan region’s new leader” had to make a clear choice between peaceful development or confrontation.

His domestic challenges loom large too, given his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lost its parliamentary majority in the January election.

On May 17, lawmakers punched, shoved and screamed at each other in a bitter dispute over parliamentary reforms the opposition was pushing. There could be more fighting on May 21 when lawmakers resume their discussions.

Representational image of Foxconn logo seen atop the company’s headquarters in New Taipei City, Taiwan
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Taiwan Vice President Lai Ching-te on Tuesday hit out at China over its probe of major Apple supplier Foxconn, saying Beijing should “cherish” Taiwanese companies and not put pressure on them during an election.

Foxconn is facing a tax probe in China, two sources close to the company said on Monday, confirming a report in China’s state-backed Global Times.

The sources said they believed it was disclosed for political reasons tied to Taiwan’s January elections where the company’s founder Terry Gou is running as an independent candidate for president.

The Global Times, in an English-language story late on Sunday, said by running, Mr. Gou might split the opposition vote, potentially ensuring a victory for Lai who is already leading in the polls.

China claims Taiwan as its own territory and Beijing detests Mr. Lai, whom it believes is a separatist. He says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future, and Beijing has rebuffed his offers of talks.

Speaking at a news conference in Taipei and asked about Beijing’s probe into Foxconn, Mr. Lai said China should “cherish and treasure” Taiwanese companies given their help in that country’s economic development.

“During an election, China does not need to put pressure on Taiwanese companies, demanding they declare a position, or even that they directly support a candidate they prefer,” he said.

Taiwanese companies will lose their confidence in China and if they feel scared will shift production elsewhere, which will be a big loss to China, Mr. Lai added.

Foxconn has been pushing to diversify its manufacturing base outside China to places such as India, which one of the sources said may have contributed to Beijing placing pressure on the company.

Mr. Gou has not commented on the probe, with his campaign team referring questions to Foxconn and pointing out he is no longer involved in the company’s day-to-day running, though he remains a big shareholder.

Mr. Gou cancelled without explanation a campaign event originally scheduled for Monday evening, and has no events planned for Tuesday, according to his media team.

Foxconn said in a statement on Sunday that legal compliance was a “fundamental principle” of its operations, and it would “actively cooperate with the relevant units on the related work and operations”.

Foxconn’s shares extended their declines on Tuesday, down more than 2% during mid-morning trade compared to a flat broader market. Shares closed 2.9% lower on Monday.

Taiwan frequently accuses Beijing of seeking to exert pressure, whether military or economic, to sway the outcome of its elections to ensure an outcome favourable to China, whose government has not commented on the Foxconn probe.

Mr. Lai said China should respect Taiwan’s democratic system, way of life and choice of president, moving away from confrontation towards an era of respectful dialogue.

He reiterated it was his “mission” to maintain the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, in a reference to how he would not seek to push for Taiwan’s formal independence, a red line for China.