The presidential candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party of Taiwan, William Lai, yesterday highlighted his intention to maintain peace in the region and resume “dialogue” with China, on the eve of elections in the territory
“Peace is priceless and there are no winners in a war. Peace is the only option. We want to dialogue and cooperate with China”, declared the current vice-president of Taiwan, at a press conference with international media, where he was
accompanied by Hsiao Bi-khim, running mate and until now de facto ambassador of the territory in the United States. During his initial intervention, Lai, who leads the polls with around 35% support, reiterated his proposal to “maintain peace and stability” in the region, following the “path” outlined by the current President, Tsai Ing-wen: military deterrence, economic security, ties with democracies and principled leadership.
The candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) stated that a peace anchored on the ‘One China’ principle, the premise for Beijing to accept dialogue and which excludes the existence of Taiwan as a sovereign entity, “is not a true peace” , citing as examples the repression in Hong Kong and the autonomous region of Xinjiang.
“That’s why we think we have to improve deterrence, strengthen our military capabilities and our autonomy (…) We are determined to defend our homeland,” said the 63-year-old politician.
Lai, who has described himself in the past as a “pragmatic Taiwanese independentist”, said he saw no “need” to formally declare the island’s independence, since “Taiwan is already a de facto sovereign and independent country”.
“The status quo is in line with the common interest of Taiwan, China and the world,” said the DPP candidate, who is confident that Beijing will “review” its policy towards Taiwan if elected president.
The candidate also accused the Beijing government of trying to influence the elections, resorting to unprecedented “coercive” measures. “In these elections, it is clear that China is using the argument of choosing between peace and war to affect the elections, trying to establish a pro-China government,” said Lai.
More than 19 million Taiwanese are eligible to vote in next Saturday’s elections, in which Lai will compete with Hou Yu-ih, from the Kuomintang, and Ko Wen-je, from the Taiwan People’s Party.
The DPP’s current mandate has been marked by increased tensions with China. Beijing cut off communication with Taipei in 2016, following the Party won that year’s elections.
China also considers Lai a “separatist”. Taiwan – where the Chinese nationalist army retreated following being defeated by communist troops in the civil war – has been governed autonomously since 1949, although China claims sovereignty over the island, which it considers a rebel province, and does not exclude the use of strength for “reunification”.
