Beijing slams Taiwan’s Lai as ‘destroyer’ of peace after anniversary speech
William Lai portrays his government as responding firmly to mainland pressure, days after Trump said he did not support Taiwan independence
Beijing on Wednesday accused Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te of “destroying cross-strait peace”, shortly after he delivered a speech to mark his second anniversary in office. The row comes in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s remarks on Taiwan independence following his state visit to Beijing.
Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office condemned Lai’s anniversary speech and his subsequent remarks to reporters as being filled with “lies and deception, hostility and confrontation”.
Spokesman Chen Binhua said Lai had “stubbornly adhered to the erroneous stance of Taiwan independence”, and promoted what Beijing called the fallacies of “sovereign independence” and “mutual non-subordination”.
Lai had once again proven himself to be an outright “destroyer of cross-strait peace” and a “maker of Taiwan Strait crises”, Chen added.
Lai’s televised speech on Wednesday appeared to be aimed at addressing those concerns, by portraying his administration as firm but measured in defending the island against pressure from Beijing.
“Maintaining peace and stability across the strait and preventing external forces from altering the status quo are our national strategic goals,” Lai said as he marked the halfway point of his term.
Taiwan was “a responsible member of the international community – not a destabiliser”, he added.
“Taiwan is willing to engage in healthy and orderly exchanges with China under the principles of parity and dignity. However, we firmly reject united front [political influence] tactics that package unification as peace.”
In a brief question and answer session after the speech, Lai sharpened his messaging on both the regional status quo and defence.
“The Republic of China, Taiwan, is a sovereign and independent country,” he said, referring to Taiwan’s official name for itself. “No country has the right to annex Taiwan.”
In response to another question, he said: “The Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other. Taiwan is not part of the People’s Republic of China. This is an ironclad fact.”
Responding to questions about Trump’s recent remarks that he wanted to speak to “the person now governing Taiwan”, Lai said communication channels between Taipei and Washington had “always been smooth”.
If given the opportunity, he said he would stress to Trump that stability in the Taiwan Strait was essential to global security and prosperity, while arguing that mainland China – not Taiwan – was the principal destabilising force.
Lai, from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, also defended higher defence spending and continued arms purchases from the US, saying the island faced growing threats.
“We believe only strength can bring peace,” Lai said, arguing that military modernisation and defence procurement were necessary not only to protect Taiwan but also to preserve wider regional stability.
Without explicitly accusing Beijing of influencing local politics, he suggested opposition parties were weakening Taiwan’s resilience while engaging more readily with mainland China than with his administration.
The People’s Liberation Army also condemned Lai’s pledge to boost Taiwan’s defence. Jiang Bin, a spokesman for Beijing’s defence ministry, said Lai was still instigating “using force to seek independence and resist reunification”.
“The PLA is constantly standing ready to crush any attempt to seek Taiwan independence and defend the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said in a statement.
Lai’s speech was met with a swift backlash from his political opponents.
The Kuomintang, Taiwan’s main opposition party, accused Lai of “turning cross-strait tensions into ideological confrontation and of refusing to define relations with mainland China under the framework of the Republic of China constitution.”
It argued that Lai was “ignoring geopolitical reality” after Trump’s remarks on Taiwan independence while pushing the island into “greater danger by heightening confrontation”.
The smaller opposition Taiwan People’s Party also criticised Lai, arguing that he spoke of unity while governing through confrontation.
The party said Lai had adopted increasingly hardline positions on both cross-strait relations and politics at home, deepening divisions while deflecting scrutiny over defence spending and funding for the island’s drone industry.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-ruled island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.
James Yifan Chen, a professor of diplomacy at Tamkang University in New Taipei City, said Lai’s speech largely reaffirmed his tough stance towards Beijing, although he had slightly moderated his wording by referring to “external forces” rather than explicitly naming mainland China.
Yet Lai’s framing of peace as being reliant on resistance to reunification left little room for constructive engagement, he said.
“By raising the spectre of Chinese missiles, downplaying the significance of peace and disregarding public sentiment favouring dialogue, Lai’s remarks risk being perceived as unfriendly gestures,” Chen said.
From the Trump administration’s perspective, such messaging was unlikely to be seen as contributing to stability across the Taiwan Strait, he added.
Beijing could respond militarily, Chen warned.
“With the PLA already conducting joint combat patrols around the Taiwan Strait and sending the Liaoning aircraft carrier into the Philippine Sea, Beijing may expand the scale of military exercises to express dissatisfaction.”