Lai firmly emphasized that Taiwan and the PRC “are not subordinate to each other.” He warned that a possible occupation of the island would not satisfy Beijing's ambitions, but would destabilize the entire Indo-Pacific region.
What effects would China annex Taiwan have?
What does Taiwan's president think about American involvement in relations with Taipei?
What actions does Lai Ching-te propose to defend Taiwan?
How does Beijing refer to Lai Ching-te?
“If Taiwan is annexed, the next countries at risk will be Japan and the Philippines, and even the Americas and Europe will be affected,” Lai said in his first interview with a foreign agency since taking office in 2024.
He assessed that US President Donald Trump is making difficult efforts for peace, and the US commitment to relations with Taipei remains “rock solid.”
Military purges in China. Taiwan's leader reacts
A key element of Lai's strategy is deterrence, so that “no day is convenient for an invasion” for China. For this purpose, he proposed a special budget for the construction of the T-Dome air defense system and AI technologies. He also appealed directly to Europe, calling for closer cooperation in the arms industry and signing an investment protection agreement, pointing to Taiwan's strategic, “irreplaceable” role in the global semiconductor supply chain.
Lai is described by Beijing as a “dangerous separatist”. The communist authorities of the People's Republic of China recognize democratically governed Taiwan as part of their territory and regularly increase military pressure on the island, not excluding the use of force to gain control over it.
