Taiwan’s President rejects opposition’s China stance, reaffirms his party’s independent approach

TAIWAN: Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te has dismissed the notion that dialogue with China could be pursued in cooperation with Taiwan’s opposition parties, arguing their approaches differ fundamentally from that of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Focus Taiwan reported.

According to Focus Taiwan, on Saturday, citing an interview on the YouTube channel of Mindi World News, the Taiwanese President reiterated the DPP’s long-standing stance that opposition parties tend to support Beijing’s “One China Principle”.

He pointed to the Kuomintang’s (KMT) support for the “1992 Consensus” and other narratives like “both sides of the Strait are one family”, which he said align more closely with China’s unification agenda.

As per Focus Taiwan, Beijing holds the “One China Principle”, which asserts that the People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate government of China and that Taiwan is part of it. The KMT interprets the 1992 Consensus as both sides agreeing there is “One China” but with room for differing interpretations of what that means.

Lai also referred to former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je’s use of the “one family” phrase in 2015 to support cross-strait engagement. Ko later founded the Taiwan People’s Party but stepped down as its chairman in December 2024 amid corruption allegations, as reported by Focus Taiwan.

In contrast, Lai emphasized that the DPP sees Taiwan and China as separate entities, with Taiwan’s future to be decided solely by its 23 million citizens. He criticised China’s rising military pressure and psychological tactics as aggressive efforts to force unification and disrupt the international rules-based order.

To counter this, Lai reaffirmed his administration’s “Four Pillars of Peace”: strengthening national defence, building economic resilience, deepening partnerships with democratic allies, and ensuring cross-strait leadership based on stable principles, Focus Taiwan reported.

While Taiwan remains open to dialogue, Lai stressed that it must be conducted on the basis of equality and mutual respect–an approach also championed by his predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen, though Beijing has yet to respond favourably.

Lai underscored that Taiwan favours engagement over confrontation and exchange over isolation, seeking peaceful coexistence and shared prosperity.

He warned that China’s current strategy toward Taiwan and the world appears ineffective and may backfire, noting shifts in the US policy focus toward the Indo-Pacific.

On trade, Lai said ongoing talks with the US aim to ensure that new “reciprocal” tariffs imposed on Taiwanese goods do not exceed 10 per cent. (ANI)