Taiwan Vice President William Lai said his country is not afraid of threats, has the courage and strength to continue the country’s development on the path of democracy, and is ready to talk with China.
Lai stressed in remarks he made – yesterday, Sunday – during a luncheon in New York that the world will be safe if his country is safe, and if the Taiwan Strait enjoys peace, then the world will prevail, and he said, “We are – indeed – on the right path. We do not fear or back down because of Growing authoritarian threats.
Lai – the leading candidate for Taiwan’s president in the elections to be held next January – is making his first official passage to the United States on the way to and back from Paraguay, where he will attend the inauguration ceremony of its new president.
Chinese denunciation
Lai’s transit visit to America infuriated Beijing, with China’s Foreign Ministry denouncing the visit, calling Taiwan’s vice president a “separatist” and “troublemaker all the time”.
The ministry said in a statement issued after Lai’s arrival in New York that China is closely following the situation and will take “resolute and forceful measures to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Both Taiwan and the United States see such visits as routine and have no reason for China to take provocative measures, as they described it. However, the Chinese government sees them as further evidence of the unacceptable support of the United States for Taiwan, which Beijing considers an integral part of China.
Officials in Taiwan fear that China will take Lai’s transit visit to America as a pretext to start military maneuvers that it may carry out next week near Taiwan, to intimidate voters before next year’s elections.
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2023-08-14 08:46:46
