Taiwan President Lai Ching-te Discusses China’s Intentions and Taiwan’s Sovereignty
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te has stated that China’s goal to annex Taiwan is not driven by concerns for ‘territorial integrity’ but as part of its ambition to ‘transform the rules-based global order’ and achieve dominance in the western Pacific region and internationally.
In an interview with Taiwanese local media, Lai questioned why China doesn’t reclaim land ceded to Russia in the 1858 Treaty of Aigun if territorial integrity is the issue. The treaty signed by the Qing dynasty ceded around 600,000 square kilometers of land in Manchuria to the Russian Empire.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory, but the self-governed island rejects these claims. Lai reiterated his government’s opposition to the ‘1992 consensus,’ which the opposition Kuomintang party described as a tacit agreement with the Chinese Communist Party that there is only one China, with each side free to interpret what that means.
Lai stated that Taiwan ‘absolutely cannot accept the ‘One China’ principle of the ‘1992 consensus” because it would mean transferring Taiwan’s sovereignty to China. He also highlighted Taiwan’s cooperation with various democratic alliances such as the Quadrilateral Security Alliance (QUAD), AUKUS, and the Five Eyes Alliance, which he said are increasingly standing together.
Doubts Revealed
Taiwan -: Taiwan is an island near China. It has its own government and is not controlled by China.
Lai Ching-te -: Lai Ching-te is the President of Taiwan. He is a leader who makes important decisions for the country.
annex -: To annex means to take control of a place or region, usually by force or without permission.
territorial integrity -: Territorial integrity means keeping a country’s borders and land whole and undivided.
global dominance -: Global dominance means being the most powerful and influential country in the world.
1992 consensus -: The 1992 consensus is an agreement between China and Taiwan that there is only one China, but each side can interpret what that means differently.
democratic alliances -: Democratic alliances are groups of countries that work together because they believe in democracy, where people have the power to choose their leaders.
QUAD -: QUAD is a group of four countries: the United States, India, Japan, and Australia, that work together on security and other issues.
AUKUS -: AUKUS is a security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States to help each other with defense and technology.
Five Eyes Alliance -: The Five Eyes Alliance is a group of five countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, that share intelligence and information to keep each other safe.
