China breathes fire as Taiwan asserts sovereignty
Taipei, May 20: 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 emphasised 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.
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 recognise 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.
China, however, denounced Taiwan’s new President Lai Ching-te for his assertion that the self-ruled island is sovereign and vowed to uphold the status quo, saying that he has sent “a dangerous signal” of seeking “Taiwan independence”. China views Taiwan as a rebel province that must be reunified with the mainland, even by force.
Lai’s DPP party does not seek independence from China but maintains that Taiwan is already a sovereign nation. In his no-holds-barred inaugural speech, Lai called on China to stop threatening the island, promised to uphold the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, and called on Beijing to work jointly for peace.
China sanctions Boeing, two US defence contractors
The Chinese government didn’t immediately address Lai’s inauguration, but the Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced sanctions against Boeing and two other defence companies on Monday for arms sales to Taiwan. The move is the latest in a series of sanctions Beijing has announced in recent years against defence companies for weapons sales to Taiwan, a self-ruled island that China considers as part of its own territory. (PTI)