TaiwanPresidentLai Ching-tesaid on Thursday that the island is determined to defend its sovereignty and bolster its defence in the face ofChinas growing assertiveness, after Beijing fired rockets towards Taiwanduring military drills.
The international community is watching to see whether the Taiwanese people possess the resolve to defend themselves, Lai said in a New Years speech broadcast live from the presidential office in Taipei.
He urged opposition parties to support his proposal to increase Taiwansdefencespending by $40 billion, a plan currently stalled amid a political deadlock in the opposition-controlled parliament.
Whether China can achieve its goals on schedule is one thing, Lai said when asked about a US report suggesting China could have the capability to win a conflict over Taiwan by 2027.
The coming year, 2026, will be a crucial one for Taiwan, he added, saying the island must make plans for the worst, but hope for the best.
Read moreTaiwan coastguard says Chinese ships 'withdrawing' as Beijing announces drills' completion
We are willing to engage in exchanges and cooperation with China on an equal and dignified basis, promoting a peaceful and shared environment across the strait, Lai said. As long as China acknowledges the existence of the Republic of China and respects the Taiwanese peoples desire for a democratic and free way of life.
China accused Taiwan's president on Thursday of telling "lies" in his speech, state media reported.
Lai's New Year address was "filled with lies and nonsense, hostility and malice", Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Chen Binhua said, adding that Lai had "incited cross-strait confrontation", Beijing's Xinhua news agency said.
China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out the use of force to bring it under Chinese control. Taiwan rejects these claims.
Lais speech came just two days after Chinese exercises named Justice Mission 2025. China fired dozens of rockets towards Taiwan and deployed a large number of warships and aircraft near the island, a show of force that drew concern from Western allies including the European Commission and the United Kingdom.
Taipei condemned the drills as a threat to regional security and a blatant provocation. Beijing announced late on Wednesday that it had completed the exercises, stating its military would continue to strengthen combat readiness.
Chinas PresidentXi Jinpingstruck a familiar tone on Taiwan in his New Years address on Wednesday, repeating last years warning to what Beijing considers separatist forces that Chinas reunification with Taiwan cannot be stopped.
The drills, Chinas largest by area and the closest yet to Taiwan, forced the island to cancel dozens of domestic commercial flights and dispatch military jets and warships to monitor the exercises.
The Chinese manoeuvres began 11 days after theUnited Statesannounced a record$11.1 billion arms packagefor Taiwan. Chinas military said for the first time that the drills were aimed at deterring outside intervention.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)
Originally published on France24
