Taiwan President, Lai Ching-te, criticized China’s autocratic actions on Monday, calling them the real “evil” and defending democracy. His comments came after China threatened the death penalty for strong supporters of Taiwan’s independence.
China, viewing Taiwan as its territory, has openly shown its dislike for Lai since he took office last month, calling him a “separatist” and holding military drills near Taiwan after his inauguration.
Last Friday, China stepped up its pressure on Taiwan by announcing new legal measures to punish those supporting Taiwan’s independence. However, Chinese courts have no control over Taiwan, which is democratically governed.
At a news conference in Taipei, Lai expressed sympathy for recent floods in southern China before addressing China’s actions.
“Democracy is not a crime; autocracy is the real evil. China has no right to punish Taiwan’s people for their political beliefs or infringe upon their rights outside its borders,” Lai said.
Lai also noted that China considers anyone opposing “reunification” a supporter of Taiwan’s independence.
“I urge China to recognize the Republic of China and engage in dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected government,” he added. “Without this, relations between Taiwan and China will only grow more strained.”
Since Thursday, Taiwan has reported a significant increase in Chinese military flights near the island. Between Thursday and Sunday, Taiwan detected 115 Chinese military aircraft, some as close as 31 nautical miles (57 km) from Taiwan’s southern tip.
For the past four years, China has regularly conducted military activities around Taiwan as part of a pressure strategy. Next month, Taiwan’s annual Han Kuang war games will simulate real combat scenarios due to the increasing threat from China.
Lai rejects Beijing’s claims over Taiwan, insisting that only the people of Taiwan can decide their future. Despite offering to hold talks with China, Lai’s proposals have been ignored. China maintains that any move towards Taiwan’s formal independence would justify an attack.
The government in Taipei asserts that Taiwan is already an independent country, officially known as the Republic of China, and has no plans to change this status. The Republic of China government moved to Taiwan in 1949 after losing the civil war to Mao Zedong’s Communists.
Lai also faces challenges at home. His Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lost its majority in parliament in the same January election that brought him to power. At the news conference, Lai said he would ask the constitutional court to review and possibly block parliamentary reforms passed by the opposition. These reforms include measures to criminalize contempt of parliament by government officials.
The opposition argues that these reforms are necessary for greater accountability, while the DPP claims they were pushed through without proper discussion.