Taiwan’s new president William Lai urges China to ‘stop’ making threats – but aims to maintain the status quo

Published

1 year ago

May 21, 2024

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The inauguration of Taiwan’s new president, Lai Ching-te, is more about handing over the baton than any dramatic change in policy for the island which is overshadowed by its large and powerful neighbour, China.

It’s expected Lai Ching-te (also called by his English name, William Lai) will stay the course set by his predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen.

But his first speech as the new president was closely watched in Asia for any clues about how Taiwan will handle its difficult relationship with China.

In a careful and considered address, Mr Lai urged China to “stop threatening Taiwan” and called for “peace and stability” in the Taiwan Strait.

China’s position is unequivocal – that Taiwan is part of China and “re-unification” with the mainland is inevitable.

Many on the island want to maintain its sovereignty and democracy. But the pressure is building and Taiwan knows it.

“So long as China refuses to renounce the use of force against Taiwan, all of us in Taiwan ought to understand, that even if we accept the entirety of China’s position and give up our sovereignty, China’s ambition to annex Taiwan will not simply disappear,” Mr Lai said.

‘Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’

In Beijing today, the response was firm. Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Chen Binhua said: “The mainland and Taiwan belong to the same China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China.

“Taiwan independence is incompatible with peace in the Taiwan Strait.

“Our will to resolve the Taiwan question and complete national reunification is rock-solid, our ability to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity is impregnable, and our actions against ‘Taiwan independence’ and foreign interference are resolute and strong.

“We will never tolerate or condone any form of secessionist acts of ‘Taiwan independence’.”

Speech designed not to appease nor antagonise

The inauguration celebration was big on colour and big on mentioning “democracy” – Mr Lai dropped it in more than 30 times.

This was his first chance as president to promote Taiwan’s democratic and sovereign status.

Still, it was clear this was a speech designed to neither appease nor antagonise the Chinese Communist Party.

And that is exactly the difficult balancing act the Taiwanese government is faced with.

Over the last few years, Taiwan has welcomed hundreds of journalists, politicians and diplomats to the island.

The most controversial was the visit by former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2022. It caused a crisis.

Chinese missiles, ships and planes buzzed around the island for days after the trip.

Unofficial US delegation attends ceremony

The US does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but does acknowledge a “robust unofficial relationship”.

It knows well that any high-profile visits to the island would be fiercely condemned by China.

Only an unofficial US delegation was present at the ceremony today.

These days China has a two-pronged strategy towards Taiwan. The tough approach and the softer approach – something akin to trying to win over a few hearts and minds on the way.

The tough one sees Chinese naval vessels and fighter jets operating ever closer to Taiwan, including its mountainous eastern side.

China peeling away states that recognise Taiwan

Diplomatically, China has been gradually peeling away the handful of tiny island countries and micro-states in the Pacific and Caribbean who recognise Taiwan, enticing them with trade and investment to switch sides.

But on the other side, China is encouraging Taiwanese investment, making it easier for them to buy property, study and work on the mainland.

Mr Lai will aim to maintain the status quo when it comes to China.

In the past, China has called him a “separatist” and “dangerous”.

He’s since modified his position urging “sovereignty” and saying nothing about independence.

On technology, Mr Lai emphasised the country’s unique status as the world’s largest manufacturer of semi-conductors and foreshadowed the island’s future in artificial intelligence.

Mr Lai said Taiwan is as “important to the world as it is to the Taiwanese people”.

His message was clear – in the great power rivalry between the West and China, Taiwan matters.

World

Donald Trump sending ‘top of the line’ weapons to support NATO in Ukraine war

Published

8 hours ago

July 15, 2025

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Donald Trump sending 'top of the line' weapons to support NATO in Ukraine war

Donald Trump has agreed to send “top of the line weapons” to NATO to support Ukraine – and threatened Russia with “severe” tariffs if it doesn’t agree to end the war.

Speaking with NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte during a meeting at the White House, the US president said: “We’ve made a deal today where we are going to be sending them weapons, and they’re going to be paying for them.

“This is billions of dollars worth of military equipment which is going to be purchased from the United States, going to NATO, and that’s going to be quickly distributed to the battlefield.”

Follow the latest here

It comes as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had a “very good conversation” with Mr Trump late on Monday. He thanked him for the “willingness to support Ukraine and to continue working together to stop the killings”.

Weapons being sent from to Ukraine include surface-to-air Patriot missile systems and batteries, which the country has asked for to defend itself from Russian air strikes.

Mr Trump also said he was “very unhappy” with Russia, and threatened “severe tariffs” of “about 100%” if there isn’t a deal to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days.

The White House added that the US would put “secondary sanctions” on countries that buy oil from Russia if an agreement was not reached.

Mr Zelenskyy previously criticised Vladimir Putin’s “desire to drag [the war] out”, and said Kyiv was “working on major defence agreements with America”.

It comes after weeks of frustration from Mr Trump over Mr Putin’s refusal to agree to an end to the conflict, with the Russian leader telling the US president he would “not back down” from Moscow’s goals in Ukraine at the start of the month.

During the briefing on Monday, Mr Trump said he had held calls with Mr Putin where he would think “that was a nice phone call”, but then “missiles are launched into Kyiv or some other city, and that happens three or four times”.

“I don’t want to say he’s an assassin, but he’s a tough guy,” he added.

Earlier this year, Mr Trump told Mr Zelenskyy “you’re gambling with World War Three” in a fiery White House meeting, and suggested Ukraine started the war against Russia as he sought to negotiate an end to the conflict.

After Mr Trump’s briefing, Russian senator Konstantin Kosachev said on Telegram: “If this is all that Trump had in mind to say about Ukraine today, then all the steam has gone out.”

Meanwhile, Mr Zelenskyy met with US special envoy Keith Kellogg in Kyiv, where they “discussed the path to peace” by “strengthening Ukraine’s air defence, joint production, and procurement of defence weapons in collaboration with Europe”.

He thanked both the envoy for the visit and Mr Trump “for the important signals of support and the positive decisions for both our countries”.

World

Trump announces weapons deal with NATO to help Ukraine – as he gives Putin 50-day ultimatum

Published

23 hours ago

July 14, 2025

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Trump announces weapons deal with NATO to help Ukraine - as he gives Putin 50-day ultimatum

Donald Trump has agreed to send “top of the line weapons” to NATO to support Ukraine – and threatened Russia with “severe” tariffs if it doesn’t agree to end the war.

Speaking with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte during a meeting at the White House, the US president said: “We’ve made a deal today where we are going to be sending them weapons, and they’re going to be paying for them.

“This is billions of dollars worth of military equipment which is going to be purchased from the United States,” he added, “going to NATO, and that’s going to be quickly distributed to the battlefield.”

Follow the latest here

Weapons being sent include surface-to-air Patriot missile systems and batteries, which Ukraine has asked for to defend itself from Russian air strikes.

Mr Trump also said he was “very unhappy” with Russia, and threatened “severe tariffs” of “about 100%” if there isn’t a deal to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days.

The White House added that the US would put “secondary sanctions” on countries that buy oil from Russia if an agreement was not reached.

It comes after weeks of frustration from Mr Trump against Vladimir Putin’s refusal to agree to an end to the conflict, with the Russian leader telling the US president he would “not back down” from Moscow’s goals in Ukraine at the start of the month.

During the briefing on Monday, Mr Trump said he had held calls with Mr Putin where he would think “that was a nice phone call,” but then “missiles are launched into Kyiv or some other city, and that happens three or four times”.

“I don’t want to say he’s an assassin, but he’s a tough guy,” he added.

Earlier this year, Mr Trump told Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy “you’re gambling with World War Three” in a fiery White House meeting, and suggested Ukraine started the war against Russia as he sought to negotiate an end to the conflict.

After Mr Trump’s briefing, Russian senator Konstantin Kosachev said on Telegram: “If this is all that Trump had in mind to say about Ukraine today, then all the steam has gone out.”

He thanked both the envoy for the visit and Mr Trump “for the important signals of support and the positive decisions for both our countries”.

World

At least 30 dead and 100 injured as armed groups clash in Syria, officials say

Published

1 day ago

July 14, 2025

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At least 30 dead and 100 injured as armed groups clash in Syria, officials say

At least 30 people have been killed in the Syrian city of Sweida in clashes between local military groups and tribes, according to Syria’s interior ministry.

Officials say initial figures suggest around 100 people have also been injured in the city, where the Druze faith is one of the major religious groups.

The interior ministry said its forces will directly intervene to resolve the conflict, which the Reuters news agency said involved fighting between Druze gunmen and Bedouin Sunni tribes.

It marks the latest episode of sectarian violence in Syria, where fears among minority groups have increased since Islamist-led rebels toppled President Bashar al Assad in December, installing their own government and security forces.

The violence reportedly erupted after a wave of kidnappings, including the abduction of a Druze merchant on Friday on the highway linking Damascus to Sweida.

Last April, Sunni militia clashed with armed Druze residents of Jaramana, southeast of Damascus, and fighting later spread to another district near the capital.

But this is the first time the fighting has been reported inside the city of Sweida itself, the provincial capital of the mostly Druze province.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reports the fighting was centred in the Maqwas neighbourhood east of Sweida and villages on the western and northern outskirts of the city.

It adds that Syria’s Ministry of Defence has deployed military convoys to the area.

Western nations, including the US and UK, have been increasingly moving towards normalising relations with Syria.

Concerns among minority groups have intensified following the killing of hundreds of Alawites in March, in apparent retaliation for an earlier attack carried out by Assad loyalists.

That was the deadliest sectarian flare-up in years in Syria, where a 14-year civil war ended with Assad fleeing to Russia after his government was overthrown by rebel forces.

The city of Sweida is in southern Syria, about 24 miles (38km) north of the border with Jordan.