On Tuesday, May 21, China described the inauguration speech, delivered on Monday, of the new Taiwanese president, Lai Ching-te, as “an admission of Taiwan’s independence” and threatened him with “retaliation.” This speech “can be described as a true admission of Taiwan’s independence”, according to a press release from the Chinese Taiwan Affairs Office released in the evening, referring to future “retaliations”.
Mr. Lai, whom Beijing has called a “dangerous separatist” in the past, was sworn in on Monday. He promised to defend democracy there in the face of Chinese threats and called on China to “stop its political and military intimidation”. He also spoke directly about the risk of war after years of increasing pressure from China to bring Taiwan under its control.
Taiwanese separatists “will be pilloried of shame for history,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi commented on Tuesday, according to a statement from his ministry. The day before, its spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, declared: “Whatever the evolution of the internal political situation in Taiwan, this will not change the historical and legal fact that the two sides of the strait belong to one and the same China . »
