President Lai Insists Taiwan's Future Is Not Determined by Foreign Powers

Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te has said that ‘foreign powers’ cannot determine the future of the island democracy, which relies heavily on security support from the United States to deter a potential attack by China. The remark, reported by AFP on Wednesday, comes days after United States President Donald Trump said weapon sales to Taiwan could be used as a bargaining tool with China, which claims the island as part of its territory and has threatened to seize it by force. ‘The future of Taiwan cannot be determined by foreign powers, nor can it be held hostage by fear, division, or short-term interests,’ Lai said in a speech marking the second year of his presidency. Trump had undertaken a state visit to Beijing last week, where President Xi Jinping urged the US leader not to support Taiwan. Since then, Lai’s administration has launched a counter-offensive, insisting that US policy towards Taiwan has not changed. The Taiwanese government also said that Trump had made no commitments to China regarding arms sales to the island. Taiwan says China is the ‘root cause’ of regional instability and that arms sales by the United States are a legal commitment to defend the island’s democracy. In his remarks on Wednesday, Lai said his government would increase defence spending to ‘prevent war’, not to start it. He emphasised that the threats are greater than ever. ‘Taiwan must have the capacity to defend itself and to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,’ Lai said. Lai said Taiwan was prepared to ‘engage in healthy and orderly relations with China’ on the basis of equality, but insisted ‘we will not sacrifice our sovereignty and our democratic way of life.’ In response, the Taiwan Affairs Office of China said Lai’s speech was ‘full of lies and deceit, hostility and confrontation,’ according to state media Xinhua. Since Trump took office, Taiwan has faced heavy pressure to raise defence spending and to increase investment in the United States. Taiwan has poured billions into strengthening its military and developing its defence industry. Yet Taiwan remains heavily reliant on high-tech arms sales from the United States, which it would need in the event of a conflict with China. Parliament recently approved a defence expenditure bill worth US$25 billion to be used for purchasing weapons from the United States.