“If Taiwan is safe, the world is safe; if the Taiwan Strait is peaceful, then the world is peaceful,” Vice President William Lai said regarding China. “We are already on the right track. Don’t be afraid and turn back because of the increased threat from authoritarianism. We must be brave and strong to continue to grow Taiwan on the road of democracy.”
Taiwan Vice President William Lai is currently on his way to attend the inauguration of incoming President Santiago Peña Palacios of the Republic of Paraguay scheduled for August 15 as a special envoy. Mr. Lai exemplifies enhancing the strong bilateral connection between the two nations. But before reaching there, he stopped on Saturday at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on a transit stop en route to Paraguay.
William Lai is currently the face of the next Presidential election in January. And Taiwan’s neighboring nation has not been content with the following visit of the vice president to the United States. There is a threat of increased military activities around the democratically governed island.
US-Taiwan Relations Induce Unpleasant Reaction
China’s Foreign Ministry strongly denounced the stopover of William Lai in the US by stating that, “We firmly oppose any visit by “Taiwan independence” separatists to the US in any name or under whatever pretext, and we firmly oppose the US government having any form of official contact with the Taiwan region. They deplores and strongly condemns the US decision to arrange the so-called “stopover” for Lai Ching-te.”
The Spokesperson called Mr. Lai a “troublemaker” who clings to the separatist position of Taiwan. They also rebuked the US and Taiwan authorities for arranging this political arrangement under the pretext of a “stopover.” The Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry said, “This seriously violates the one-China principle and gravely undermines their sovereignty and territorial integrity. The fact once again shows that the fundamental cause of the continued tensions in the Taiwan Strait is the Taiwan authorities’ attempt to solicit US support for “Taiwan independence” and that the US is bent on using Taiwan to contain Beijing.”
They also emphasized the matter of Taiwan as their core interest and bedrock of the political foundation of their relations with the US, highlighting it as a “first red line” that must not be crossed in China-US relations. Beijing reiterated that, “We urge the US to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, deliver on its commitment of not supporting “Taiwan independence” or “two Chinas” or “one China, one Taiwan”, stop all forms of official interaction with Taiwan, stop conniving with and supporting “Taiwan independence” separatist forces and their separatist activities, and stop fudging and hollowing out the one-China principle.”
Republic of China vs. People’s Republic of China
William Lai has pledged to maintain peace and the status quo and underlines that, on the basis of dignity and parity, he was “very willing” to talk to their neighboring country and seek peace and stability, following Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s policies. However, he was adamant about the sovereignty of Taiwan, which can only be decided by the Taiwanese people, and that the Republic of China (ROC) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are “not subordinate to each other.”
Beijing has remarked that it’s closely observing this situation and will take resolute and strong measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Both Taipei and Washington have called on the PRC not to take any provocative action in response.
But according to Taiwanese officials, the neighboring nation is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan to show their discontent with Mr. Lai’s stopover in the US. This is done to intimidate voters ahead of the next elections and make them fear the looming war.
This is not the first time China has shown contempt for Taiwan’s foreign diplomacy. During the recent visit of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, China sanctioned the speaker and her family members. China issued various countermeasures against this visit, including cancelling China-U.S. Defence Policy Coordination Talks (DPCT) and Suspending their talks on climate change.
There are 13 countries that recognize the sovereignty of Taiwan. Among them, Paraguay is one of the countries that has maintained formal ties with Taiwan for a long time.
