Faced with the spread of authoritarianism in the world, President Tsai Ing-wen warns that Beijing-claimed invasion of this island would be a defeat for democracies
Endurance. Or, as they say now, resilience. That is the most repeated word this Monday in Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen’s speech to celebrate her National Day. What is actually celebrated on October 10, or ‘Double Ten’, is the 111th anniversary of the Wuchang Uprising in Wuhan, which ended the Qing Empire and established the first Republic of China.
But that state was reduced to the small island territory of Taiwan when the Kuomintang government (KMT), led by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, fled mainland China after losing the civil war to communist revolutionary Mao Zedong in 1949. Shortly afterwards, on October 1 of that year, he founded the People’s Republic of China, which has since claimed sovereignty over Taiwan.
After decades of vindication, including armed clashes and invasion attempts, growing tensions between the two sides exploded last summer when Beijing surrounded the island with its biggest military maneuvers following the controversial visit of the President of the United States House of Representatives. Nancy Pelosi. Against this dangerous blockade, which would be the first step towards a hypothetical Chinese invasion, and the war in Ukraine as a backdrop, Taiwan has celebrated its national holiday and shows off its sovereignty and its democratic system.
“Russia continues its war against Ukraine and Beijing’s military activities in the South China Sea, the Baltic Sea and the Strait of Formosa are undermining stability and peace in the Indo-Pacific region. do not ignore the democratic and free world order in any way,” President Tsai warned in her speech.
For those who attended the National Day parade, all outfitted in masks due to the covid protocols still in effect in Asia, the Taiwanese president criticized China’s increasingly frequent provocations. “It is regrettable that the escalation of the Beijing authorities in their military intimidation and diplomatic pressure in recent years has sought to erase the sovereignty of the ROC and Taiwan, thereby disrupting the status quo of peace and stability in the Straits and in the region is under threat.
For the past 73 years, the people of Taiwan have lived together on this island, forming a strong sense of self-identity and belonging. The broadest consensus among the people of Taiwan and their political parties is that we must defend our national sovereignty and our free and democratic way of life. At the moment there is no room for compromise,” he declared to the applause of the crowd.
With such a statement of intent, Tsai flatly rejects China’s offer of reunification under the “one country, two systems” formula, which has been shown to be a misconception in Hong Kong, and, incidentally, billionaire Elon Musk’s recent suggestion of integration into China. as a “special administrative area”, causing so much controversy.
The Taiwanese braved the clouds that covered the sky of Taipei and celebrated this National Day with a parade where the festive atmosphere predominated, but in which the military also wore its best clothes, its fighters and its helicopters against the threat from Beijing. Although Taiwan is recognized by only a dozen states and its place in the UN was taken by China in 1971, it is a “de facto” independent state with its own democratic government, currency, army, borders and passport.
After the success of its democratic transition after four decades of dictatorship by the Koumintang Party (KMT), the last thing most of its 23 million inhabitants want is to return to an authoritarian regime like China’s. This was seen in the 2020 presidential election, in which Tsai Ing-wen was reelected by an overwhelming majority, taking advantage of the crushing of Hong Kong’s democracy-promoting protests.
“The differences between the two sides of the Strait stem from historical factors and different experiences in democratic development. Beijing authorities must not misjudge on behalf of Taiwan’s strong democratic system. Make no mistake if you think there is room for the Taiwanese people’s commitment to democracy and freedom,” the president warned.
Although he reached out to Beijing, trusting “the gradual resumption of relations” and recognizing that “confrontation is not good for either side”, he made it clear that rapprochement will only be possible “by respecting Taiwan’s commitment to our sovereignty.” , democracy and freedom” and “as long as there is rationality, equality and mutual respect (…) to find a new agreement to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait”.
Given how difficult this is, Tsai called for strengthening Taiwan’s defenses with “new precision missiles, ships, mobile weapons for asymmetric warfare” and for expanding military training for reservists and the rest of the civilian population. According to him, not only the future of the island is at stake, but also the future of the free and democratic world.
“A safer Taiwan means a more prosperous and peaceful region in the world,” said Tsai, recalling the island’s importance to the global economy due to its hegemony in the microchip industry. “The concentration of the semiconductor sector in Taiwan is not a risk, but rather a key to the industry reorganization,” he sought to calm Western fears of hypothetical control by China in the event of an invasion. To prevent this from happening, he pledged to “guarantee the security of our infrastructure” and “to integrate us more closely into the international community by increasing our cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and Eastern and Central Europe”.
In her speech, Tsai welcomed that “while the spread of authoritarianism threatens the world order, friends from all over the world have come to Taiwan to show their heartfelt support. Taiwan is now getting even more attention than ever. The Republic of China-Taiwan has become an important global symbol of democracy and freedom. The international community knows that supporting Taiwan is tantamount to supporting regional stability and democratic values.”
For this reason, he warned that “the destruction of Taiwan’s freedom and democracy would be a grave defeat for world democracies.” President Tsai highlighted the main theme of her speech, stating that “the main national priority is to make Taiwan a more resilient country”.
Source: La Verdad
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