Beijing slams Taiwan’s Lai as ‘destroyer’ of peace after anniversary speech
William Lai portrays his government as responding firmly to mainland pressure, days after Trump said he did not support Taiwan independence
Beijing on Wednesday accused Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te of “destroying cross-strait peace”, shortly after he delivered a speech to mark his second anniversary in office. The row comes in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s remarks on Taiwan independence following his state visit to Beijing.
Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office condemned Lai’s anniversary speech and his subsequent remarks to reporters as being filled with “lies and deception, hostility and confrontation”.
Spokesman Chen Binhua said Lai had “stubbornly adhered to the erroneous stance of Taiwan independence”, and promoted what Beijing called the fallacies of “sovereign independence” and “mutual non-subordination”.
Lai had once again proven himself to be an outright “destroyer of cross-strait peace” and a “maker of Taiwan Strait crises”, Chen added.
Lai’s televised speech on Wednesday appeared to be aimed at addressing those concerns, by portraying his administration as firm but measured in defending the island against pressure from Beijing.