Beijing officials assert that Lai Ching-te is “propagating separatist fallacies” and compromising with foreign powers.
Chinese officials accuse Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te of aligning with external forces to promote separatism within the self-governing island.
During an interview on Monday with the conservative US radio program ‘The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show,’ Lai affirmed his view of Taiwan as an independent nation, separate from China, and asserted that Beijing lacks the authority to invade the island. He further suggested that US President Donald Trump would merit the Nobel Peace Prize should he persuade Chinese President Xi Jinping to permanently abandon the use of force against Taiwan.
Responding to these statements, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office dismissed Lai’s comments as “nonsense” and charged him with “propagating the separatist fallacies of ‘Taiwan independence.’”
The office’s statement further asserted, “He has engaged in unprincipled foreign pandering and bottomless selling out of Taiwan, squandering the flesh and blood of the people, prostituting himself and throwing in his lot with foreign forces.”
Over recent months, various foreign politicians have advocated for Trump to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, citing his contributions to conflict mediation. Nevertheless, some perceive these endorsements largely as symbolic or as attempts to gain favor with the US president.
For an extended period, Taiwan has procured US weaponry to bolster its defense against the Chinese military, and media outlets indicate that Washington intends to authorize arms sales to Taipei surpassing the levels seen during Trump’s initial term. This collaboration between the US and Taiwan remains a significant source of friction for China, which regularly conducts military drills in the vicinity of the island.
China views Taiwan as an integral part of its sovereign territory. President Xi has declared that reunification with Taiwan is “inevitable,” and Beijing has not dismissed the possibility of using force to achieve this objective.