Taiwan's President Urged To Prepare For War With China
3- 20.05.2025, 14:29
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His statement came against the backdrop of the PRC's increasing military exercises.
Taiwan's President Lai Tsingde said Tuesday, May 20, that he seeks peace and dialogue with China, but stressed that the island nation must continue to strengthen its defenses and be prepared for possible war.
His statement came amid an increase in Chinese military exercises near Taiwan over the past year, writes France24 (translated by Charter97.org).
Speaking to mark the end of his first year as president, Lai said Taiwan seeks stable relations with Beijing but is under no illusions about threats.
"I also seek peace. Because peace is priceless and war has no winners. But in pursuit of peace, we cannot live with dreams and illusions," he told reporters at the presidential residence in downtown Taipei.
He stressed that Taiwan will continue to strengthen its defense capabilities because "preparing for war is the best way to avoid it."
Lai reiterated his willingness to engage in dialogue with China, as long as there is mutual respect."
Taiwan is open to mutually beneficial cooperation with China if it is based on respect. We want to replace deterrence with engagement and confrontation with dialog."
In the meantime, Lai continues to be labeled a "separatist" in China. Beijing has rejected all his offers of talks and insists that Taiwan is an integral part of the PRC. Lai responds by claiming that only the people of Taiwan have the right to decide their own fate.
China's Ministry of Defense has previously said that Taiwan's president is contributing to escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait and "undermining regional stability."
Taiwan's Defense Ministry also said that six Chinese aircraft and eleven ships had been sighted off the island in the past 24 hours.
Reminder, in May this year, the PRC held a large-scale exercise called "Joint Sword-2024A" shortly after Lai's inauguration, as well as "Thunder in the Strait-2025A" last month. The letter "A" in the name hints at a possible continuation of the series of maneuvers.
Besides security issues, Lai also touched on the economic agenda. He announced plans to set up a sovereign investment fund aimed at developing the technology sector:
"The government will establish a sovereign fund to create a national investment platform to maximize the advantages of Taiwanese industry - with the support of the government and in cooperation with the private sector."
The president also said that negotiations with the U.S. on tariff policy are "going well" despite the risk of new trade restrictions.
After the press conference, Lai visited the Computex trade show, where he met with
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