Taiwan will not succumb to pressure from China: Lai Ching-te
“Taiwan will not succumb to pressure from China, nor seek military confrontation,” said Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) at a high-profile forum attended by academics, experts, and opinion leaders from home and abroad.
At the 2022 Yushan Forum on Friday (Oct. 7), against the backdrop of China’s growing belligerence since this year, Lai talked about how the government has been addressing the security challenges. He also discussed what Taiwan can do to speed up the post-pandemic recovery in the Indo-Pacific region with its new technologies.
“As countries around the world are reopening for tourists by lifting COVID-19 related entry restrictions, including Taiwan, I am looking forward to exchanging views with attending world leaders, academics, and experts on issues, such as supply chain reshaping and resilience, security and defense in the Indo-Pacific region, among other critical issues for regional players,” Lai said.
He noted the majority of the regional population has no access to new technologies, which means there will likely be a slow recovery. “Taiwan will continue to offer help in improving infrastructures and in implementing the latest technologies of artificial intelligence and big data to help countries quickly respond to the fast-evolving pandemic,” said the physician-turned politician.
Lai also expressed the country’s strong wish to join trading blocs such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) — led by democracies.
“In the face of a growing military threat from China, the people of Taiwan remain calm and rational rather than panicked and intimidated, and that shows our determination to safeguard freedom as well as democracy.”
Lai concluded his speech by emphasizing the country is seeking a peaceful and stable cross-strait relationship with China by honoring its promise, but it will not succumb to pressure from Beijing nor react with antagonistic behavior.
Agencies