Latest news with #Taiwan-administered
Gulf Today
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Taiwan President Lai seeks peace with China, promises to boost defence
Taiwan wants peace and dialogue with China but the government must continue to strengthen the island's defences, President Lai Ching-te said on Tuesday as he completed one year in office. Taiwan is prepared to talk to China as equals but will continue to build up its defences, the island's President Lai Ching-te said on Tuesday as he marked his first year in office. Lai, a staunch defender of Taiwan's sovereignty and detested by Beijing, delivered remarks on the need 'to prepare for war to avoid war' and also bolster the island's economic resilience. After promising to stand up to China and defend democracy at his inauguration, Lai insisted Taiwan was 'willing' to communicate with Beijing if there was 'parity and dignity.' China said on Tuesday it was 'willing to engage in dialogue' with Taiwan but on condition. Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office, also slammed Lai's 'separatist position' that promoted 'economic decoupling' across the Taiwan Strait, according to CCTV. Lai called peace 'priceless' in his speech but added, 'we cannot have illusions' and vowed to continue strengthening defence. Taiwan will 'actively cooperate with international allies, shoulder to shoulder to exert the power of deterrence, to prepare for war to avoid war, and to achieve the goal of peace,' Lai told journalists. China, which claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to annex it, has held several rounds of large-scale military drills around the island since Lai took office. Taiwan's coast guard warned on Monday that China may use 'cognitive warfare' to 'disrupt public morale' around Lai's anniversary. Shortly before Lai's remarks, Taiwanese coast guard personnel arrested two Chinese nationals 'attempting to sneak onto' an island in the Taiwan-administered Kinmen archipelago, several kilometres off China's mainland. As Taiwan comes under pressure from Washington to move more factories to US soil and reduce their trade imbalance, Lai said Taiwan would not 'put all our eggs in one basket.' Taiwan would increase its economic resilience by diversifying markets and boosting domestic demand. Lai also announced plans to set up a sovereign wealth fund to 'boost Taiwan's economic momentum,' but did not provide details about its size. The president has seen his first term in the top job engulfed in domestic political turmoil as opposition parties, which control the parliament, seek to stymie his agenda. The main opposition Kuomintang party (KMT) has called Lai a 'dictator' and accused him of pushing Taiwan closer to war with China, while Lai's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) suggests the KMT is a tool of Beijing. On Tuesday, Lai said the government wanted to 'strengthen cooperation among political parties' and that his national security team would start providing 'important' briefings to the opposition. The KMT said the island's challenges 'cannot be solved after holding one briefing', but acknowledged Lai had 'finally tried to take a small step' towards resolving frictions. 'We also hope that President Lai will have more courage and take a big step to stop judicial persecution and political hatred,' KMT said in a statement. Analysts said Lai's remarks were more restrained than in previous speeches, which have drawn criticism from Beijing. 'Lai is dialling down the messaging and keeping Taiwan's head low to avoid getting into anybody's crosshairs amid this geopolitical uncertainty,' Wen-Ti Sung, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub, said. Lai has seen his approval rating fall to 45.9 percent from 58 percent nearly a year ago, according to a survey by Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation in April. His disapproval rating rose to 45.7 percent -- the highest since he took office -- which the polling group linked to the Lai government's handling of US tariffs on Taiwan and the DPP's unprecedented recall campaign targeting the opposition. DPP supporters are seeking to unseat around 30 KMT lawmakers through a legal process that allows legislators to be removed before the end of their term. Agence France-Presse
eNCA
20-05-2025
- Business
- eNCA
Taiwan says 'willing' to talk to China as island boosts defences
TAIWAN - Taiwan is prepared to talk to China as equals but will continue to build up its defences, the island's President Lai Ching-te said Tuesday as he marked his first year in office. Lai, a staunch defender of Taiwan's sovereignty and detested by Beijing, delivered remarks on the need "to prepare for war to avoid war" and also bolster the island's economic resilience. After promising to stand up to China and defend democracy at his inauguration, Lai insisted Taiwan was "willing" to communicate with Beijing if there was "parity and dignity". China said on Tuesday it was "willing to engage in dialogue" with Taiwan but on condition. Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office, also slammed Lai's "separatist position" that promoted "economic decoupling" across the Taiwan Strait, according to CCTV. Lai called peace "priceless" in his speech but added "we cannot have illusions" and vowed to continue strengthening defence. Taiwan will "actively cooperate with international allies, shoulder to shoulder to exert the power of deterrence, to prepare for war to avoid war, and to achieve the goal of peace," Lai told journalists. China, which claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to annex it, has held several rounds of large-scale military drills around the island since Lai took office. Taiwan's coast guard warned Monday that China may use "cognitive warfare" to "disrupt public morale" around Lai's anniversary. Shortly before Lai's remarks, Taiwanese coast guard personnel arrested two Chinese nationals "attempting to sneak onto" an island in the Taiwan-administered Kinmen archipelago, several kilometres off China's mainland. As Taiwan comes under pressure from Washington to move more factories to US soil and reduce their trade imbalance, Lai said Taiwan would not "put all our eggs in one basket". Taiwan would increase its economic resilience by diversifying markets and boosting domestic demand. Lai also announced plans to set up a sovereign wealth fund to "boost Taiwan's economic momentum", but did not provide details about its size. The president has seen his first term in the top job engulfed in domestic political turmoil as opposition parties, which control the parliament, seek to stymie his agenda. - Falling approval rating - The main opposition Kuomintang party (KMT) has called Lai a "dictator" and accused him of pushing Taiwan closer to war with China, while Lai's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) suggests the KMT is a tool of Beijing. On Tuesday, Lai said the government wanted to "strengthen cooperation among political parties" and that his national security team would start providing "important" briefings to the opposition. The KMT said the island's challenges "cannot be solved after holding one briefing", but acknowledged Lai had "finally tried to take a small step" towards resolving frictions. "We also hope that President Lai will have more courage and take a big step to stop judicial persecution and political hatred," KMT said in a statement. Analysts said Lai's remarks were more restrained than in previous speeches, which have drawn criticism from Beijing. "Lai is dialling down the messaging and keeping Taiwan's head low to avoid getting into anybody's crosshairs amid this geopolitical uncertainty," Wen-Ti Sung, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub, told AFP. Lai has seen his approval rating fall to 45.9 percent from 58 percent nearly a year ago, according to a survey by Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation in April. His disapproval rating rose to 45.7 percent -- the highest since he took office -- which the polling group linked to the Lai government's handling of US tariffs on Taiwan and the DPP's unprecedented recall campaign targeting the opposition. DPP supporters are seeking to unseat around 30 KMT lawmakers through a legal process that allows legislators to be removed before the end of their term. The DPP only needs to win six seats to wrest back control of parliament. A rival campaign to unseat 15 DPP members has been embroiled in controversy after KMT staffers were accused of forging the signatures of dead people. By Amber Wang And Joy Chiang
Al Arabiya
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Taiwan detects 45 Chinese aircraft in 24 hours, highest this year
Taiwan reported Thursday that it had detected 45 Chinese military aircraft near the island, the highest number recorded this year. The surge in activity follows Taiwan's condemnation of China's "live-fire" drills conducted off its southern coast. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has repeatedly threatened to use force to bring the self-ruled island under its control. In recent years, Beijing has ramped up military deployments, sending fighter jets and naval vessels near Taiwan to assert its sovereignty—a claim that Taipei firmly rejects. According to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense, between 6:00 am Wednesday and 6:00 am Thursday (2200 GMT on Wednesday), 45 Chinese aircraft and 14 warships were spotted near Taiwan. This marks the highest number of Chinese aircraft detected since December 11, according to an AFP tally. Taiwan condemns China's military actions On Wednesday, Taiwan accused China of conducting a combat drill involving aircraft and warships, followed by "live-fire exercises" approximately 40 nautical miles (74 kilometers) off its southern coast. Taipei denounced these actions as dangerous and a violation of "international norms." In response, Taiwan's military deployed its own forces to "monitor, alert, and respond appropriately," the defense ministry stated. Beijing's foreign ministry has declined to comment on the recent military activity. However, Taiwan's foreign ministry issued a statement on Thursday calling on Beijing to "exercise rational self-restraint" and to "immediately stop military provocations." It also urged the international community to "continue to pay attention to the security of the Taiwan Strait and the region, and jointly condemn China's actions." Fears of cable sabotage Meanwhile, tensions escalated further when Taiwan seized a Chinese-crewed cargo ship suspected of cutting a subsea telecom cable serving the Taiwan-administered Penghu Islands. Concerns over the security of undersea communication lines have grown in Taiwan, as it fears that China could sever its network as part of a blockade or a military strategy to seize the island. Taiwan remains a potential flashpoint for a conflict between China and the United States, its most important ally and largest arms supplier. While Washington is legally obligated to provide Taiwan with defensive weapons, it has long maintained "strategic ambiguity" over whether it would intervene militarily in the event of a Chinese invasion. Despite strong bipartisan support for Taiwan in the US Congress, concerns remain over whether President Donald Trump would prioritize Taiwan's defense if China launched an attack. In an effort to strengthen ties with Washington, Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te has pledged to increase investment in the US, reduce the trade imbalance, and bolster military spending. Taiwan is also considering increasing imports of US natural gas as part of economic cooperation. The dispute between China and Taiwan dates back to 1949, when Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang nationalist forces fled to Taiwan after losing the Chinese civil war to Mao Zedong's communist troops. Despite never having ruled Taiwan, Beijing considers it a breakaway province and insists on reunification, by force if necessary. Historically, Taiwan has been ruled by various foreign powers, including the Dutch, Spanish, Qing dynasty China, and Japan, before becoming self-governing in the late 20th century.
