BEIJING/TAIPEI, Oct 9 (Askume) – The Chinese government said Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te had “sinister intentions” and had escalated tensions. Mr Lai is due to deliver a keynote speech in Taipei that could trigger a response from the Chinese military.
China dislikes Lai, who came to power in May after winning elections in January, and calls him a “separatist”. Beijing claims democratic rule over Taiwan, which it considers its territory, but Jimmy Lai and his government have rejected the idea.
On Tuesday night, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said it was a reversal of right and wrong in response to Lai’s comments over the weekend that it was “impossible” for the People’s Republic of China to become Taiwan’s motherland because of Taiwan’s long political roots.
The statement said Jimmy Lai has always promoted the argument that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are two separate countries.
The article said, “Lai Qingde’s illusion of Taiwan independence is old wine in a new bottle, once again exposing his stubborn stance on the issue of Taiwan independence and his sinister intention to escalate hostility and confrontation.”
Lai will deliver the keynote National Day speech on Thursday, which marks the overthrow of China’s last dynasty and the establishment of the Republic of China in 1911.
After losing the civil war against Mao Zedong’s Communist Party in 1949, the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan. Taiwan’s official name is the Republic of China.
The Taiwan Mainland Affairs Commission said it is an objective fact that the People’s Republic of China has never governed Taiwan since 1949.
The comments by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council have made it clear to Taiwanese people that the CCP regards itself as the sole legitimate government in China and leaves no room for the existence of the Republic of China.
Taiwanese officials said China may launch military exercises near Taiwan in response to Jimmy Lai’s speech to pressure Taiwan to accept its claims to the island .
A US State Department spokesperson said he could not speculate on what China would or would not do.
“However, it must be stressed that using routine annual rituals or public comments as an excuse to take provocative or forceful actions could undermine peace and stability,” the spokesperson said.
Chinese troops conduct operations around Taiwan almost daily, and as recently as Sunday, regularly conduct what Taiwan calls “joint combat readiness patrols.”
China has also conducted a number of other exercises in recent weeks, including operations with Russia in the western Pacific and testing an intercontinental ballistic missile last month .
Taiwan’s Defence Ministry told Askume in a statement that China was using various pretexts to “legitimise its targeted military exercises”.
The Ministry of National Defense said, “We will continue to monitor and analyze the CCP’s training dynamics in the Taiwan Strait region to predict the situation.”
Lai said only the people of Taiwan can decide their future and that he has repeatedly offered talks with Beijing but has been rejected.
Shortly after Jimmy Lai was sworn in in May, China’s military presence around Taiwan increased“Punitive” war exercises were conducted.
