TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said China is a threat to world peace and argued that support from the US under the Trump administration has increased in response.
In an interview with Liberty Times published Monday, Lai stressed that beyond watching US policy, Taiwan must also have confidence in itself. “Taiwan is a beacon of democracy in Asia, and our strength lies in the democratic achievements we have built over decades,” he said.
Lai said Taiwan occupies a key position on the first island chain, and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are essential to global security and prosperity. He warned that war in the strait would disrupt international shipping and severely impact the global economy.
The president said Taiwan is more than semiconductors. “In information and communications technology, electronic components, and many small and medium-sized enterprises, we have numerous hidden champions,” he said. “We are not merely dependent. We can contribute to the international community.”
He argued that the international community will not abandon Taiwan because of Chinese expansion. Beijing is actively challenging the international order and seeking to supplant US leadership through the Belt and Road Initiative, efforts to internationalize the renminbi, and military expansion beyond the third island chain. “Even if Taiwan were handed to China today, it would not stop its expansion. It would only be emboldened,” Lai cautioned.
Amid Beijing’s promotion of a “US skepticism” narrative, Lai said Washington’s new National Defense Strategy calls for deterring China’s expansion, while US leaders have repeatedly reaffirmed commitments to Taiwan. During a visit late last month, Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker stressed continued US support under the Taiwan Relations Act and Six Assurances, saying defending democracy in Taiwan should not be viewed as a provocation.
Lai emphasized that “China’s problem is not solely Taiwan’s. Its expansionism has become an international challenge and a threat to world peace.” He called on the Taiwanese people to support the government and “stand shoulder to shoulder with the democratic camp, using deterrence to achieve peace.”
