Taiwan is a ’sovereign and independent country,’ Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te said.
TAIPEI, Taiwan—Democratic Taiwan is older than Communist China and thus it is wrong for Beijing to call itself the motherland, according to the island’s President Lai Ching-te.
Lai made the comments during a speech at a gala at the Taipei Dome on Oct. 5, ahead of Taiwan’s National Day on Oct. 10. Taiwan, officially called the Republic of China (ROC), celebrates its 113th birthday on this year’s National Day. The People’s Republic of China (PRC), the official name of mainland China under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), turned 75 on Oct. 1.
“Therefore, in terms of age, it is absolutely impossible for the People’s Republic of China to become the ’motherland’ of the Republic of China’s people. On the contrary, the Republic of China may be the motherland of the people of the People’s Republic of China who are over 75 years old,” Lai said.
“So, if anyone in Taiwan wants to say happy birthday to the People’s Republic of China, please do not call it the motherland.”
Taiwan’s National Day, also dubbed the Double Ten Day, marks the start of the Wuchang Uprising in 1911 that overthrew the emperor of the Qing Dynasty. The ROC was founded in China in 1912.
The ROC government retreated to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war to the CCP.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and labels anyone who defends the island’s sovereignty—including Lai—as “separatist.”
“One of the most important meanings of these celebrations is that we must remember that we are a sovereign and independent country,” Lai said.
Lai said that the people of Taiwan should unite to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty and protect its democracy, freedom, and human rights.
Lai, who took office in May after his election victory in January, will deliver his own keynote National Day address on Oct. 10.
In early September, Lai said that if China’s claims on Taiwan were about territorial integrity, Beijing should also ask Moscow to turn over land signed over by the Qing Dynasty in 1858.China has been engaging in “gray zone” operations to put pressure on Taiwan. These non-combat activities have included military exercises near Taiwan, as well as air sorties and naval development in the vicinity of the island.
At around noon on Sunday, Taiwan’s defense ministry said it had spotted over 20 Chinese military planes near the island in the past few hours.
Last year, CIA Director William Burns said that CCP leader Xi Jinping had instructed China’s military “to be ready by 2027” to conduct a successful invasion of Taiwan.
In recent months, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has published two reports looking at the possibility that China could either impose a quarantine or mount a blockade against Taiwan.
In a quarantine scenario, China would deploy its Coast Guard vessels to enforce its customs rules around Taiwan. By controlling marine traffic around the island, cargo vessels and tankers destined for Taiwan would be subjected to Chinese inspection and their personnel for questioning by Chinese authorities.
In doing so, China could punish Taiwan economically and undermine the island’s sovereignty, the CSIS said.
In a blockade scenario, China would stop “all or most imports” of oil, natural gas, and gas. Given Taiwan’s huge dependence on food and energy imports for its population of nearly 24 million people, the island would be crippled by “progressive failures in electric power distribution” around the island, the CSIS said.
The goal is to “break the will of Taiwan’s people to resist” that leads to Taipei’s capitulation, CSIS said. An unsuccessful blockade could still be a “win” for China, should it be able to seize Taiwan’s offshore islands, such as Kinmen or Matsu.
Reuters contributed to this report.