Eyeing the presidency, Lai backs view that Taiwan not part of PRC
ROC Central News Agency
08/08/2023 07:03 PM
Taipei, Aug. 8 (CNA) Taiwan is not a part of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and neither side is subordinate to the other, Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said when asked to explain why he said in 2017 that he is a "pragmatic worker for Taiwan independence."
In an interview with SETN aired Monday night, Lai was asked by talk show host Cheng Hung-yi (鄭弘儀) to explain his well-known remark made in 2017 when he was premier that has followed him ever since and cast him as a Taiwan independence supporter.
In response, he said the view of what "Taiwan independence" means among Taiwanese has evolved.
"To say 'Taiwan independence' today refers to the general consensus in Taiwan that Taiwan is not part of the PRC, and that Taiwan belongs to all Taiwanese people," the vice president said.
That differs from the PRC definition of "Taiwan independence," Lai argued, without elaborating, though Beijing and others often see "Taiwan independence" as formally declaring independence from China and changing the country's name.
As for his use of the word pragmatic, Lai, the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) 2024 presidential nominee, said it "means acting according to facts, and the fact is Taiwan is not part of the People's Republic of China (PRC)."
"Being a worker means to protect Taiwan," Lai said, describing his mission as building up "Taiwan's democracy, peace, and prosperity," while "defending Taiwan's sovereignty against Chinese aggression, so that future generations can have a secure and prosperous life in this land."
Lai also said in 2017 when he was mayor of Tainan that "supporting Taiwan independence does not mean one cannot make friends with China."
When asked whether that was possible, Lai said Taiwan and China can coexist in peace without having to be "enemies going to war with each other."
"That's why I made the distinction between the [Chinese] communist party and the Chinese people," Lai said. "Taiwan can start by showing an affinity or goodwill toward Chinese people and becoming closer to the Chinese people."
Despite the rhetoric, the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) has argued that Taiwan has taken several steps to push Taiwan's sovereignty that has only heightened antagonism between China and Taiwan and increased the chances of conflict.
It has used the slogan "Vote DPP, vote for war" during its campaigning for the 2024 elections, but Lai said in the interview that message was essentially following Chinese propaganda and would not stand.
"Taiwan and China had engaged in battles long before the DPP came to power. The 823 Artillery Bombardment and the Battle of Guningtou are two examples," Lai said.
"China has always wanted to take Taiwan. They did not plan to do this just recently, and they did not plan to do this after the DPP became the ruling power," Lai said.
As tensions are high in the Indo-Pacific region, Lai said, his mission is to uphold regional peace and security by continuing the "four commitments" laid down by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), including committing to a free and democratic constitutional system.
The others are committing that the ROC and the PRC should not be subordinate to each other, committing to resisting annexation or encroachment upon sovereignty, and committing that the future of the ROC or Taiwan must be decided in accordance with the will of the Taiwanese people.
In an op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal on July 4, Lai said, he further proposed "four pillars" as an "action plan" to affirm Tsai's four commitments: building Taiwan's defense capabilities, treating economic security as national security, forming partnerships with democracies around the world, and establishing steady and principled cross-strait leadership.
The DPP has twice governed Taiwan, and during its almost 16 years of governance, it has always worked toward peaceful development in cross-strait relations, Lai said. "It is up to China to decide whether it will also do the same."
Asked if he was worried that Beijing could try to influence Taiwan's 2024 elections by pressuring Taiwanese businesses operating in China, Lai said he hoped Beijing would refrain from doing so.
Though he did not seem keen on Taiwanese businesses operating in China, the vice president said he understood that some still wanted to be there and respected their business strategies.
He also pledged that if they needed assistance, "the government has a responsibility to help them."
Asked what lessons the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia has provided to Taiwan, Lai said, "Taiwan must be ready, but it should also be prepared for the worst."
"Taiwan must be prepared if it does not want to become the next Ukraine, because peace comes through strength," Lai said.
(By Yeh Su-ping, Matt Yu and Sean Lin)
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