Beijing: China launched a scathing attack on Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te on Monday, denouncing his recent comments asserting Taiwan’s statehood as a provocative and “heretical” move aimed at inciting cross-strait tensions.
In a strongly worded statement, Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office accused Lai of deliberately misrepresenting historical facts to promote what it calls a separatist agenda. Lai had stated in a Sunday evening speech that Taiwan is “of course” a country, backed by both historical context and legal standing.
The Chinese government, which considers the self-ruled democratic island a breakaway province with no legitimacy as a sovereign state, responded with fierce criticism. “Lai Ching-te's remarks were essentially a declaration of Taiwan independence, riddled with distortions and inflammatory rhetoric,” the Taiwan Affairs Office said. “His assertions, contrary to history, current realities, and international law, are nothing but fallacies destined for the dustbin of history.”
Beijing maintains that Taiwan has been an inseparable part of Chinese territory since ancient times and continues to reject any claims of sovereignty by Taipei. Despite repeated offers for dialogue from Lai's administration, China refuses to engage with the Taiwanese government, labeling Lai a staunch separatist.
President Lai, however, has consistently argued that the island’s future should be decided solely by its 23 million residents. He has also emphasized that the People's Republic of China has never governed Taiwan and thus holds no legitimate claim over it.
The rift stems from the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, when the defeated Republic of China government retreated to Taiwan, where it continues to function under that formal name.
Tensions across the Taiwan Strait have escalated in recent years, with Beijing increasing its military and diplomatic pressure on the island, including frequent war drills near Taiwanese airspace.
