Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te stated that no matter how great the pressure from mainland China is, Taiwan must defend its sovereignty.
On the morning of the 14th, Lai Ching-te attended the seminar on the 30th anniversary of Taiwan's presidential direct elections and the resilience of democracy, delivering a speech.
On March 23, 1996, Taiwan held its first ever direct presidential and vice-presidential elections. The first winners were the Kuomintang's Lee Teng-hui and Lien Chan.
According to a compilation of Taiwanese media reports, Lai Ching-te said: "Direct presidential elections signify that Taiwan is already a sovereign and independent country. Under the Democratic Progressive Party’s administration, Taiwan will not declare independence separately. According to the constitution, our name is the Republic of China, and we are not subordinate to the People’s Republic of China. The future of the country is to be decided by Taiwan’s 23 million people."
Lai Ching-te emphasized that in the face of attempts by mainland China to alter Taiwan's sovereignty, independence, and democratic freedoms through military force and united front infiltration, "no matter how great China's pressure is, we must defend Taiwan's sovereignty."
Taiwan can afford the defense budget
Lai Ching-te stated that he has allocated a special national defense budget of NT$1.25 trillion (about RM153.5 billion) over 8 years, averaging NT$156 billion per year. “With Taiwan’s economic growth, we can absolutely afford it.”
Last year, Taiwan proposed a NT$1.25 trillion defense budget, but it was not unanimously approved by all parties. The United States has officially issued to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense four quotation documents regarding arms purchases, three of which will expire on the 15th. On the 13th, Taiwan's Legislative Yuan passed a resolution allowing the Executive Yuan to sign contracts with the United States in advance, ensuring that Taiwan’s strategic interests are not affected.