Taiwan president vows no submission to China as Beijing hits back

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te reaffirmed Saturday that the island would not yield to Chinese military pressure, saying its defense buildup is aimed at preventing war rather than provoking Beijing. China fired back, accusing Lai of revealing his intent to pursue Taiwan independence.

Speaking at a National Day ceremony in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei, Lai said China "continues to exert pressure through military and gray-zone activities in an attempt to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait," according to Taiwan's Central News Agency and United Daily News.

"Taiwan's firm stance in the face of authoritarian expansion is not only about our own survival — it is also about our belief that force cannot prevail over rules, and that major powers cannot strip people of their right to determine their own future," he said, adding that Taiwan is pressing ahead with defense reforms and developing its defense industry through advanced technology.

"The purpose of increasing defense investment is not provocation but to deter war," Lai said. "And our strengthening of self-defense capabilities is not to abandon dialogue, but to ensure that dialogue can take place on equal and dignified terms."

Earlier, Taiwan's administration proposed a record defense budget of about 1.12 trillion Taiwan dollars ($34.4 billion) for next year, aiming to raise defense spending to more than 3 percent of GDP to counter China's military threat.

Lai also addressed the recent moves toward improved relations between the United States and China. "We hope the United States and China will manage their competition through dialogue and reduce the risks of conflict and war," he said, while stressing that "an accurate understanding of how history has unfolded is essential to maintaining regional security, peace and stability."

"Taiwan cherishes peace, but will not give up freedom," he said. "We are open to exchanges, but will not accept subordination."

China responded immediately. Zhang Han, a spokesperson for China's State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said Lai's speech "revealed a sinister intent to distort facts, confuse right and wrong, and mislead the public," according to China's state-run Xinhua news agency.

Zhang said the speech showed Lai "revealing his true colors as a 'pragmatic promoter of Taiwan independence,'" accusing him of clinging to "separatist thinking on Taiwan independence" and exaggerating "threats from the Chinese mainland."

Zhang further accused Lai of "peddling the false narrative of 'democracy versus authoritarianism,'" seeking independence by relying on force and outside powers, and "stoking cross-strait confrontation and undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait."

China also reaffirmed its longstanding position that Taiwan is part of its territory. Zhang said Beijing would uphold the "one China" principle and the 1992 Consensus, and would resolutely respond to Taiwan independence forces and any outside interference.

The 1992 Consensus refers to an understanding, as described by the Kuomintang, reached between China and Taiwan in 1992 to acknowledge "one China" while allowing each side to interpret the term differently. Beijing regards it as the political foundation of cross-strait relations, but Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party does not accept it.

The competing positions came into focus against the backdrop of a US-China summit held at the White House in Washington on Sept. 24, at which Chinese President Xi Jinping said he hoped the United States would maintain its opposition to Taiwan independence and handle the Taiwan issue with care.

However, the official readout released by the White House after the summit made no mention of the Taiwan issue, and Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs pushed back against Beijing's account, saying it had distorted the facts.