Ahead of the upcoming Xi-Zheng meeting, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te posted on social media, emphasizing that he holds ideals for peace, but not unrealistic fantasies.
On Friday, Lai Ching-te wrote on Facebook that April 10 marks the 47th anniversary of the enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act. This law, along with the U.S.'s Six Assurances to Taiwan, not only serves as ironclad evidence of the ongoing deepening of bilateral friendship, but also shows our shared values of democracy, freedom, and human rights, and is a key cornerstone of stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region.
He said, “Today, support for Taiwan’s security and well-being has crossed party lines in the U.S. Congress and become one of the firmest consensuses in Washington.”
Lai Ching-te also mentioned mainland China, pointing out that in recent years, the mainland has carried out incessant gray-zone harassment and military threats targeting the Taiwan Strait and surrounding island chains, which seriously undermine regional peace and stability. “We hold ideals for peace, but not unrealistic fantasies; because history tells us that compromising with authoritarians, at the cost of sovereignty and democracy, will not bring about freedom, much less peace.”
He stressed that peace must be built on strength, and strength comes from long-term and steady investment; “We must also demonstrate determination for self-defense in order to gain the support of our allies.”
Lai Ching-te also said that the special defense budget related to national security, along with the regular defense budget, remains stalled in the Legislative Yuan. He said the opposition parties are deliberately not attending cross-party negotiations, “constantly delaying, for political reasons, the defense strengthening plans that have 70% public support and are eagerly anticipated by our allies and the surrounding region.” This, he said, not only weakens Taiwan’s ability to protect its homeland, but also causes the international community to question Taiwan’s determination for self-defense.
Lai Ching-te also wrote that in the face of external military threats and united front tactics meant to divide, he again calls on the ruling and opposition parties to set aside biases, because national security cannot wait and defense cannot be discounted. “Let us unite and support the defense budget.”