Latest news with #cross-TaiwanStrait
Epoch Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
China Can't Decide Whether We Are a Country, Taiwan Foreign Minister Says
TAIPEI—China has no right to decide whether or not Taiwan is a country given it chooses its own government, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said on Wednesday, adding that he would be happy to shake the hand of his Chinese opposite number in friendship. The Chinese communist regime views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, despite the fact that Taiwan is a de facto independent country, with its own military, democratically-elected government, and constitution. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has stepped up military and political pressure to assert those claims, including increasing the intensity of war games, saying the island is one of its provinces with no right to be called a state. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te and his government strongly reject that view, and have offered talks with the Chinese regime multiple times but have been rejected. Asked by Reuters what he would say to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi should they ever meet, Lin said that given the opportunity he would definitely shake hands with him. 'What the nature is of cross-Taiwan Strait relations can be discussed, but we are all human. First, extend the hand of friendship. If he shook my hand, that would be a good start,' he said at a press briefing to mark the first anniversary of Lai taking office. 'If he takes his hand back, that's his problem.' Taiwan's formal name is the Republic of China, the name of the government that in 1949 fled to the island after losing a bloody civil war with Mao Zedong's communists, who established the People's Republic of China. Related Stories 5/19/2025 5/18/2025 'Whether or not Taiwan is a country is not up to Wang Yi, nor the People's Republic of China, to say. The whole world sees us as a country. We choose our governments democratically. It is our business what our name is.' China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The chances Lin and Wang could meet are low. Neither government recognizes the other, officials do not visit each other, and Taiwan is not a member of most international bodies due to the CCP's objections. Lai on Tuesday reiterated an offer to talk to China, saying he sought peace but that the island must also boost its defenses. Taiwan's government has warned that Beijing could mark the anniversary with more military drills.
NDTV
21-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
China Has No Right To Decide Whether We Are A Country, Taiwan Says
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung asserts Taiwan's right to self-determination, rejecting China's claims over the island. He expressed willingness to meet China's FM Wang Yi in friendship. Taipei: China has no right to decide whether or not Taiwan is a country given it chooses its own government, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said on Wednesday, adding that he would be happy to shake the hand of his Chinese opposite number in friendship. China views democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory and has stepped up military and political pressure to assert those claims, including increasing the intensity of war games, saying the island is one of its provinces with no right to be called a state. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te and his government strongly reject that view, and have offered talks with China multiple times but have been rejected. China calls Lai a "separatist". Asked by Reuters what he would say to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi should they ever meet, Lin said that given the opportunity he would definitely shake hands with him. "What the nature is of cross-Taiwan Strait relations can be discussed, but we are all human. First, extend the hand of friendship. If he shook my hand, that would be a good start," he said at a press briefing to mark the first anniversary of Lai taking office. "If he takes his hand back, that's his problem." Taiwan's formal name is the Republic of China, the name of the government which in 1949 fled to the island after losing a bloody civil war with Mao Zedong's communists, who established the People's Republic of China. "Whether or not Taiwan is a country is not up to Wang Yi, nor the People's Republic of China, to say. The whole world sees us as a country. We choose our governments democratically. It is our business what our name is." China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The chances Lin and Wang could meet are low. Neither government recognises the other, officials do not visit each other, and Taiwan is not a member of most international bodies due to China's objections. Lai on Tuesday reiterated an offer to talk to China, saying he sought peace but that the island must also boost its defences. China responded by saying his comments were a "two-faced tactic" that were a "waste of effort and doomed to fail". Taiwan's government has warned that Beijing could mark the anniversary with more military drills.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
China can't decide whether we are a country, Taiwan foreign minister says
By Ben Blanchard TAIPEI (Reuters) -China has no right to decide whether or not Taiwan is a country given it chooses its own government, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said on Wednesday, adding that he would be happy to shake the hand of his Chinese opposite number in friendship. China views democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory and has stepped up military and political pressure to assert those claims, including increasing the intensity of war games, saying the island is one of its provinces with no right to be called a state. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te and his government strongly reject that view, and have offered talks with China multiple times but have been rejected. China calls Lai a "separatist". Asked by Reuters what he would say to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi should they ever meet, Lin said that given the opportunity he would definitely shake hands with him. "What the nature is of cross-Taiwan Strait relations can be discussed, but we are all human. First, extend the hand of friendship. If he shook my hand, that would be a good start," he said at a press briefing to mark the first anniversary of Lai taking office. "If he takes his hand back, that's his problem." Taiwan's formal name is the Republic of China, the name of the government which in 1949 fled to the island after losing a bloody civil war with Mao Zedong's communists, who established the People's Republic of China. "Whether or not Taiwan is a country is not up to Wang Yi, nor the People's Republic of China, to say. The whole world sees us as a country. We choose our governments democratically. It is our business what our name is." China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The chances Lin and Wang could meet are low. Neither government recognises the other, officials do not visit each other, and Taiwan is not a member of most international bodies due to China's objections. Lai on Tuesday reiterated an offer to talk to China, saying he sought peace but that the island must also boost its defences. China responded by saying his comments were a "two-faced tactic" that were a "waste of effort and doomed to fail". Taiwan's government has warned that Beijing could mark the anniversary with more military drills.
Time Magazine
26-04-2025
- Business
- Time Magazine
Why China-Taiwan Relations Are Getting So Tense
Since the inaugurations of William Lai as Taiwan's President in May 2024 and Donald Trump as U.S. President in January, Beijing has been on edge. Will Lai take provocative actions that demand a response? And what is Trump's attitude toward Taiwan and its fight to remain outside China's orbit? The answers have proved complicated. In the early days of his presidency, Lai carefully avoided riling Beijing unnecessarily. The strength of Taiwan's economy last year appeared to relieve him of any political need to rally his nationalist base with fist-shaking actions or rhetoric toward the mainland. But his Democratic Progressive Party lacks a parliamentary majority, and he can't be sure the Trump Administration has his back. Whatever his political intent, Lai has become more strident on cross-Taiwan Strait questions in recent weeks. On March 13, Lai delivered a speech in which he proposed 17 steps Taiwan should take to counter threats posed by China and its bid to infiltrate his government and Taiwanese society. Predictably, Beijing one-upped him, with 18 pieces of official commentary via state media that attacked Lai and his plans. Two weeks later, he was denounced as a 'danger maker' and China's People's Liberation Army released propaganda videos simulating a blockade of the self-ruled island. If that was too subtle, China's navy conducted joint exercises around Taiwan on April 1 to simulate an 'assault on maritime and ground targets, and a blockade on key areas and sea lanes,' according to a PLA official. The Chinese coast guard deployed vessels in a circumnavigation patrol around Taiwan. We've seen similar moves and countermoves in the waters between China and Taiwan many times before. But this time both sides are trying to decipher what the mercurial Trump really thinks. For now, Taiwan needs to safeguard its economy against Trump's tariff pressures. Lai's negotiators held their first trade talks with the White House on April 11, shortly after Bloomberg published an op-ed by Lai that proposed a reciprocal zero-tariff regime with the U.S. and an increase in purchases and investments in the U.S. Lai then called on April 14 for a ' Taiwan plus the U.S. ' framework to help Taiwanese companies relocate and expand into the American market. Though we don't yet know his tariff intentions toward Taiwan, Trump is extremely unlikely to cut it loose, at least in the near term. Yes, he's made clear his flexibility on territorial integrity (see Greenland/Denmark, Panama, and even Canada). If he won't take on costs and risks to help Ukraine repel Russian invaders, how confident can Taiwan be that Trump will commit U.S. troops and taxpayer funds to defend an 'ally' thousands of miles from American shores? At the same time, Trump has filled his Cabinet with China hawks, and if there's one U.S. ally most every Republican in Washington wants to defend, it's Taiwan against China. Beijing knows a full-scale invasion would risk direct war with the U.S., a destructive gamble for China's already wobbly economy at a time when Trump has added 145% tariffs to its burdens. For China's leaders, it's much safer to hold off on a full-scale invasion until the military balance more decisively favors its forces, its economy is on more solid footing, and the U.S. is led by a more predictable President. The real risk is that China will test U.S. resolve and probe Trump's responses with incremental escalations of pressure on Taiwan, none big enough on its own to create a crisis. Would it were that simple. As U.S.-China relations further break down, the shutting down of key lines of communication between Washington and Beijing could enable any accident or miscalculation to escalate into a full-blown military crisis that both would much prefer to avoid.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
China issues warning on Taiwan independence with surprise large-scale military exercises
April 1 (UPI) -- China staged surprise military exercises in the sea and skies around Taiwan on Tuesday in what the People's Liberation Army said was a "stern warning" to the island's "separatist" government and those bent on dragging its people into conflict. The joint Navy, Army and Rocket forces maneuvers saw more than 80 aircraft and ships "close in" on what China regards as a renegade province from "multiple directions" in large-scale drills gaming "assault on maritime and ground targets" and "blockade on key areas and sea lanes," said PLA Eastern Theater Command. It said the purpose was to put the joint operations capabilities of the various forces to the test with exercises in waters north, south and east of Taiwan alongside conventional missiles and long-range rocket artillery. No timeline was provided for the duration of the drills. "It is a stern warning and forceful deterrence against 'Taiwan Independence' separatist forces, and it is a legitimate and necessary action to safeguard China's sovereignty and national unity," added the PLA. The threat came with tensions on the rise over what Beijing alleges is moves toward independence by the Democratic Progressive Party administration of President William Lai who was elected in May. "'Taiwan independence' means war, and pursuing 'Taiwan independence' means pushing the people of Taiwan into a dangerous situation of war," said Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Zhu Fenglian. The foreign ministry said reunifying China -- bringing the island which broke away after the communists took over the mainland back into the fold -- was unstoppable, something that "must happen." China has not ruled out using force to realize its goal. The Taiwan Defense Ministry said it scrambled aircraft and deployed naval vessels and coastal missile systems after 71 aircraft and at least 19 PLA Navy and China Coast Guard ships, including the Shandong aircraft carrier, appeared around the island with some coming close to Taiwan's 24-mile coastal exclusion zone. "The joint exercises are reckless and irresponsible in threatening Taiwan as well as peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. It came without justification, violates international laws and is totally unacceptable," Taiwan National Security Council general secretary Joseph Wu wrote on X. Outside of Beijing and Taipei's decades-long cross-Taiwan Strait rivalry, Government analysts in Taiwan drew a direct connection to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's pledge to deter "Chinese aggression" during his visit to the region last week. Hegseth said he would strengthen the U.S.-Philippine alliance to "reestablish deterrence" to combat "China's aggression" in the region and praised Japan as an "indispensable partner in deterring communist Chinese military aggression," including in the Taiwan Strait. "They have reaffirmed the importance of security and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and confirmed that the United States is shifting its security focus to the Indo-Pacific region. This has put great pressure on Beijing's intentions," the analysis reads, according to CNN which said a senior Taiwanese national security official had provided it with a copy. "Faced with upcoming U.S.-China trade talks and the expected measures against China, Beijing has opted for restraint to avoid actions that could be seen as directly confronting the United States. Taiwan serves as the perfect pretext, prompting Beijing to launch these military drills immediately after the US Secretary of Defense left Asia," the analysis added.
