President Lai Ching-te of Taiwan stated that “Taiwan independence” means that Taiwan is not under Beijing’s control and that only the Taiwanese people can determine their own future. His remarks came after a significant summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, which raised worries in Taiwan about U. S. support for the island. Trump mentioned that the U. S. is not encouraging Taiwan to pursue independence based on American backing.
China considers Taiwan, which has its own democratic government, to be part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to assert control if Taiwan formally seeks independence. In Taipei, Lai emphasized that the Democratic Progressive Party’s resolution from 1999 declares Taiwan a sovereign, independent nation named the Republic of China. He asserted that Taiwan’s sovereignty must remain intact and the future of the island should be decided by its people.
Lai clarified that the term “Taiwan independence” means Taiwan is not part of the People’s Republic of China and that the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other. He noted the integration of the Republic of China with Taiwan over the past 70 or 80 years and reiterated that no matter the name used internationally, it represents the 23 million people of Taiwan and its surrounding islands.
With information from Reuters
