Amidst rising tensions between China and Taiwan, recent developments underscore the island nation’s determination to resist any potential effort by Beijing to carry out an invasion. The rejection of China’s criticism of President Lai Ching-te’s National Day address (10 October 2024) by Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) and strong condemnation of Chinese attempts to try and “turn Taiwan into another Hong Kong” show the new-found assertion of Taiwan’s existence as an independent nation. The rebuff from Taipei came even as the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted joint military drills in the Taiwan Strait and officially stated that Beijing would never commit to renouncing the use of force over Taiwan. This is the context in which President Xi Jinping has set foot on Dongshan island, in Fujian province to commemorate the defeat of nationalist forces by Communist China in 1953. Signalling by China of its intent towards Taiwan is being countered effectively by President Ching-te and this message needs to be carried worldwide.
The MAC statement stated, “It is clear that the Chinese Communist Party views the Republic of China (Taiwan’s official name) as an illegitimate regime and seeks to prevent its continued existence, Beijing’s positions, including emphasising the “one China principle” and the “1992 consensus,” are aimed at turning Taiwan into another Hong Kong.” Notably, the MAC statement was issued in response to earlier remarks made by the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO). Chen Binhua, TAO spokesman described Lai’s speech as a damaging “Taiwan independence manifesto.” In response to a media inquiry, Chen stated that “He (Lai) escalated provocations against the One-China principle, further entrenching the ‘two-state fallacy.” The Chinese have characterised President Lai as a “Taiwan independence worker” and a “peace disruptor,” while also justifying China’s recent counter-measures as actions taken to protect its territorial integrity and maintain peace and stability in the region.
Interestingly, Chen warned that any ‘further provocations’ by “Taiwan independence” forces would be met with stronger punitive measures till such time that complete national reunification was achieved. In response, Focus Taiwan reported that the “one China principle” wrongly asserted that there is only one “China” and that Taiwan was an integral part of it. Additionally, China’s interpretation the “1992 consensus” supported the notion that Taiwan belonged to one China was also incorrect. President Lai’s National Day address has certainly rattled mainland China as Beijing subsequently reiterated that China would never commit to renouncing the use of force against Taiwan. In line with the current aggressive military posture towards Taiwan, the Chinese PLA staged a day of large-scale drills (14 October 2024) around the island that it said, were a warning to “separatist acts”. The PLA conducted military drills called “Joint Sword-2024B,” involving its Army, Navy, Air Force, and rocket forces in the Taiwan Strait. The joint exercise was described as a “stern warning to the separatist activities of Taiwan independence forces”. China’s joint drills were directed at both Taiwan and the United States.
Faced with a consistent and regular military threat, Taiwan naturally condemned the latest PLA exercises as “irrational and provocative”. Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, who took office in May 2024, has taken a more aggressive line on China than his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen in defending Taiwan’s sovereignty. This has angered Beijing, which calls him a “separatist.” Significantly, in his National Day address, President Lai stated that “the R.O.C., rooted in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu, is not subordinate to the People’s Republic of China.” He asserted that China had no right to represent Taiwan and emphasized that his mission as President was to “protect the country’s survival and development” and ensure that “the nation’s sovereignty is not violated or annexed.” Significantly, President Lai in his National Day speech had also said, “As president, my mission is to ensure that our nation endures and progresses, and to unite the 23 million people of Taiwan. I will also uphold the commitment to resist annexation or encroachment upon our sovereignty.”
A closer reading of China’s latest statements on Taiwan reveal that Beijing is open to striving “….for the prospect of peaceful reunification with the utmost sincerity and endeavour,” but is clear that it “will never commit” to renouncing the use of force. Chen Binhua, used the language of psychological warfare when he said that the threat of use of force against Taiwan, was aimed at the interference of “external forces” and a very small number of Taiwan separatists, not the vast majority of Taiwan’s people. So, China is taking a dig at the United States and its allies when Chen stated, “No matter how many troops Taiwan has and how many weapons it acquires, and no matter whether external forces intervene or not, if it (Taiwan) dares to take risks, it will lead to its own destruction.” At the same time, President Xi Jinping arrived on the Dongshan island in China’s Fujian province, facing Taiwan. Xi Jinping was on the island to reportedly learn about efforts to revitalise the countryside and the “passing on of red genes and strengthening the protection of cultural heritage”, the official People’s Daily said. The real reason for the visit was to pressurize Taiwan, psychologically, for it was here in 1953 that Communist China defeated an attempt by Nationalist forces to occupy the island. China’s provocative measures on Taiwan are likely to continue and perhaps intensify in the runup to the upcoming Presidential election in the US on 5 November 2024. The results of the election and the position taken by the new President on Taiwan and China will then set the context of China’s attitude. For the time being though, Taiwan has set itself a path of resistance to Chinese pressure, both military and psychological. President Lai has his task clearly laid out, and one thinks he is willing to go all the way when it comes to retaining Taiwan’s independence.
Source: https://focustaiwan.tw/cross-strait/202410160008
