William Lai, the presidential candidate for Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), has warned that a war between Taiwan and China would bring about a “global catastrophe” that China would find it hard to bear. Lai’s comments came after China staged war games around the island in protest at a meeting between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy. China views Taiwan as its own territory and rejects Taiwan’s territorial claims.
Speaking at a campaign event in southern Taiwan, Lai, who is currently Taiwan’s vice president, stated that a war would have no winners, and he hoped that China would understand this. He also emphasized that Taiwan must make ready its defenses as China has not renounced the use of force over Taiwan.
Lai added that nobody wants to “take the initiative to attack China” and that he would not abandon any chance at peace. He reiterated Tsai’s call for dialogue with China based on equality and respect. However, China has rebuffed Tsai’s calls for talks, believing her to be a separatist. Both Tsai and Lai maintain that only Taiwan’s people can decide the island’s future.
The Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan’s main opposition party, traditionally favours close ties with China and has criticised the DPP for being hostile and antagonistic to Beijing. The KMT has yet to decide its presidential candidate.
Lai angered China in 2018 while he was premier, telling parliament he was a “Taiwan independence worker” and that his position was that Taiwan was a sovereign, independent country – a red line for Beijing. Despite this, Lai stated that he would not abandon his stance and that he believed in Taiwan’s sovereignty.
In conclusion, Lai’s warning of a “global catastrophe” should a war break out between Taiwan and China underscores the need for peaceful dialogue between the two countries. With tensions between the two sides remaining high, it remains to be seen whether such dialogue will take place
