Lai rejects subordination in Taiwan National Day address

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te used his National Day address on Saturday to say the island would pursue peace while protecting its freedom. He argued that greater defence investment was intended to prevent war and make dialogue possible on equal terms, rather than provoke a confrontation.

Beijing rejected the address. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office accused Lai of promoting separatism and misrepresenting the situation across the Taiwan Strait. China claims Taiwan as its territory; the democratically governed island rejects Beijing’s authority over it.

Lai also encouraged cooperation among Indo-Pacific democracies and welcomed dialogue between Washington and Beijing to lower the risk of conflict. The Associated Press reported that Taiwan’s defence ministry had recorded 21 Chinese military aircraft and seven naval ships around the island during the preceding 24 hours.

The speech sets out political positions, rather than a new agreement between the two sides. Their opposing accounts of sovereignty remain unresolved, even as Lai presents defence preparedness and continued dialogue as compatible goals.