The island's vice president told supporters during a visit to the United States that Taiwan would not fear or back down from authoritarian threats while reiterating its readiness for dialogue with China.
William Lai, also a leading candidate to become Taiwan's next president in January's elections, is in the United States on an official stopover en route to Paraguay for the inauguration of Taiwan. new president. Paraguay is one of 13 countries that maintain official relations with the island claimed by China.
Both Taiwan and the United States say pauses, including one in San Francisco on the way back, are routine, but China has condemned them and called Lai a "separatist" and "troublemaker". declare.
"If Taiwan is safe, the world is safe, if the Taiwan Strait is peaceful, the world is peaceful," Lai said at a supporter luncheon in New York on Sunday. Taiwan Presidential Office. "No matter how great the threat of authoritarianism in Taiwan, we will absolutely not fear or tremble, we will uphold the values of democracy and freedom," he said.
China has a particular grudge against Lai, who has previously described himself as a "de facto worker for Taiwan's independence", a red line for Beijing which has never renounced the use of force to control this island.
Lai, who is committed to maintaining peace and the status quo, reiterated in New York that on the basis of dignity and equality, he is "very willing" to dialogue with China and seek peace and stability.
But Lai said he would defend Taiwan's sovereignty, that only the people of Taiwan can decide their future, and the Republic of China - Taiwan's official name - and the People's Republic of China. "not dependent on each other".
Taipei and Washington both aim to make the US delay modest and have called on China not to take any provocative actions in response. However, Taiwanese officials said China is likely to conduct military exercises this week near Taiwan, using Lai's US stops as a pretext to intimidate the US. voters ahead of next year's election on "fear of war".
Lai's speech was attended by Ingrid Larson, executive director of the American Institute in Taiwan, a non-profit organization run by the US government that maintains informal relations with Taiwan.
China considers Taiwan its most important diplomatic issue and a cause of frequent friction between Beijing and Washington, the island's largest supplier of arms and international support.
