China on Tuesday described the inauguration speech the day before by new Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te as an “admission of Taiwan’s independence” and threatened him with “retaliation”.
This speech “can be described as a true admission of Taiwan’s independence”, according to a press release from the Chinese Taiwan Affairs Office released in the evening, referring to future “retaliations”.
War risk assumed
Lai Ching-te, whom Beijing has called a “dangerous separatist” in the past, was sworn in on Monday on the island. He promised to defend democracy there in the face of Chinese threats and called on China to “stop its political and military intimidation”.
He also spoke directly about the risk of war after years of increasing pressure from China to bring Taiwan under its control. Taiwanese separatists “will be pilloried of shame for history,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi commented on Tuesday, according to a press release from his ministry.
“Lai Ching-te’s betrayal is shameful”
“Lai Ching-te’s betrayal of his nation and his ancestors is shameful,” the minister added during a meeting of foreign ministers from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries.
“But whatever they do, they will not be able to prevent China from finally achieving complete reunification,” he continued. “I would like to emphasize that no matter what (Lai) says or how he says it, it will not change the status and the fact that Taiwan is part of China,” argued the spokesperson for his part. word from the Chinese Taiwan Affairs Office, Chen Binhua.
The United States gets involved
Taiwan has been self-governing since 1949, when nationalists took refuge on the island after their defeat by communist forces in the Chinese civil war on the mainland.
Beijing considers the democratically governed island to be part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to bring it under its control. Washington abandoned diplomatic recognition of Taipei in favor of Beijing in 1979, but remained Taiwan’s most important partner and its main arms supplier.
China said on Tuesday that it had complained to the United States about the congratulations that American Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent to the new president of Taiwan, Lai Ching-te.
China is “strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposed to this approach and has responded harshly to the United States,” said Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during a press conference.
