TAIPEI, Taiwan — In a National Day address, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te urged Indo‑Pacific democracies to cooperate in preserving regional stability, emphasizing the island’s role amid ongoing U.S.–China tensions.
He also expressed Taiwan’s openness to dialogue between China and the United States to manage competition and lower the risk of conflict, while noting that lasting peace depends on an accurate grasp of history.
“Respect for the right of the people of Taiwan to exist must be upheld,” he declared. “Indo‑Pacific democracies must work together to safeguard the existing peace and stability in the region and prevent any disruption.”
Taiwan continues to endure increasing military and political pressure from China, which regards the island as a breakaway territory to be reclaimed, possibly by force. In September, Chinese President Xi Jinping informed U.S. President Donald Trump of his expectation that the United States would maintain a stance opposing “Taiwan independence” during Xi’s visit to Washington.
Lai asserted that China’s pressure aims to alter the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, and that Taiwan’s resolve is not solely about its own survival against authoritarian expansion, but also about the international community’s conviction that force cannot supplant the rule of law.
Since 1949, after the Chinese civil war brought the Communist Party to power in Beijing, Taiwan has been governed separately. The defeated Nationalist forces retreated to the island, establishing a distinct governmental system that has persisted.
China has lobbied Washington to cease arms sales to Taiwan, most notably during a May summit in Beijing between President Trump and President Xi. Following that meeting, a scheduled $14 billion arms package to Taiwan was put on hold.
Lai explained that Taiwan’s heightened defense spending is intended to deter conflict, not to provoke tension.
“Our enhanced self‑defense measures are not a rejection of dialogue; they are designed to ensure that any talks occur on an equal and dignified footing,” he stated.
He added that Taiwan values peace but will never relinquish its freedom.
Taiwan’s defense ministry logged 21 Chinese military aircraft and seven navy vessels operating near the island in the 24‑hour period ending at 06:00 on Saturday, with 13 aircraft crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entering Taiwan’s air‑defense identification zone.
Foreign dignitaries, among them Eswatini’s King Mswati III and Indiana Lieutenant Governor Micah Beckwith, conveyed congratulations to Taiwan, according to Lai’s office. Eswatini remains Taiwan’s sole diplomatic ally in Africa. A Japanese parliamentary delegation also visited the island and participated in the National Day festivities.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi drew Beijing’s ire last November when she described a hypothetical Chinese military action against Taiwan as a “survival‑threatening situation” for Japan, implying that such an event would merit Japanese military involvement.
The National Day observance commemorates the founding of the Republic of China, which ended the Qing Dynasty in 1911 and later relocated to Taiwan after the Chinese Communist Party’s victory under Mao Zedong in the 1949 civil war.
Leung reported from Hong Kong.
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