Taiwan President Lai Ching-te.
| Picture Credit score: Reuters

Taiwan should defend its sovereignty and know its personal tradition and historical past, President Lai Ching-te mentioned on Sunday, rejecting what he mentioned was the earlier mistaken perception the island might function a base to “retake” China.

Mr. Lai, who took workplace in Might, and his ruling Democratic Progressive Social gathering (DPP), champion Taiwan’s separate identification from China, a place that regularly angers Beijing which views the island as an inviolable a part of Chinese language territory.

Chatting with the DPP’s annual conference, Mr. Lai mentioned those that fought to carry democracy to Taiwan – martial regulation solely led to 1987 – had a transparent understanding of the island’s place on the planet.

They “didn’t hesitate to shed blood and used their lives to debunk the mistaken concept that ‘Taiwan is a base to retake the mainland’, and instituted the nationwide coverage of placing Taiwan first,” mentioned Mr. Lai, who can also be DPP chairman.

Chiang Kai-shek and his defeated Republic of China authorities fled to Taiwan in 1949 after dropping a civil conflict with Mao Zedong’s communists.

Chiang hoped to regroup his forces on Taiwan and assault China to destroy Mao’s Individuals’s Republic of China. Chiang died in 1975 with out attaining that dream.

Lai mentioned Taiwan had totally different priorities.

“Now, our duty to unite the individuals, oppose annexation (by China) and guarantee nationwide sovereignty,” he mentioned, talking in Taiwanese, also referred to as Hokkien, fairly than the principle language of presidency, Mandarin.

“We should do our greatest to let the entire nation’s individuals perceive Taiwan’s personal historical past and tradition, and set up a nationwide identification that the 23 million individuals dwelling in Taiwan are a group of future,” he added.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Workplace didn’t reply calls searching for remark exterior of workplace hours on Sunday. China calls Lai a “separatist”.

Mr. Lai rejects China’s sovereignty claims saying solely Taiwan’s individuals can determine their future. He has repeatedly provided talks with Beijing however been rebuffed.

China staged conflict video games shortly after Mr. Lai’s inauguration, and has continued to ship warplanes and warships round Taiwan each day.

Taiwan begins is annual Han Kuang conflict video games on Monday, which this 12 months purpose to be as shut as doable to precise fight.

Mr. Lai mentioned the DPP will at all times adhere to a democratic and free constitutional system.

“We’ll by no means enable Taiwan to endure the hazard of extinction as a result of failure of democratic politics,” he added.