Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te said in his National Day speech that he is willing to work with China, while saying Beijing has no right to represent Taiwan. To learn more about how China will react to President Lai's speech, TaiwanPlus spoke to Han Yang, a former Chinese diplomat.
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00:00Today, President Lai Ching-da said that he would resist attempts at annexation or encroachment
00:05on Taiwan's sovereignty.
00:07How is China likely to react to these comments?
00:10China's position towards Taiwan hasn't changed since 1949.
00:14It has always maintained that Taiwan is part of China and the government in Taiwan is illegitimate.
00:21So I believe that whatever the president Lai says or any reconciliation gesture will be
00:28ignored by China and it will maintain its own schedule towards what they call national
00:34reunification.
00:36President Lai Ching-da struck a conciliatory tone in his National Day speech, vowing to
00:40work with China.
00:42Is China likely to view this in a positive light?
00:45Beijing has always been deeply suspicious of the Democratic Progressive Party towards
00:52President Lai's two predecessors.
00:54And I don't think it will change their attitude towards President Lai.
00:59They remain deeply suspicious of the motive of President Lai and his party.
01:05And I think Beijing will be secretly hoping to work on the next election to help elect
01:11another leader who can be more friendly with China's position, namely, probably from the
01:19Nationalist Party.
01:21China recently berated President Lai for his comments about Taiwan's Republic of China
01:25being older than China's People's Republic.
01:28Is today's speech likely to change China's views of President Lai as a so-called independent
01:33separatist?
01:34What happens in the future in the Taiwan Strait will mostly be decided by Beijing's own schedule.
01:43When it feels itself ready to take over Taiwan, it might do so.
01:48Another factor might be what the United States, how will they react, whether they will commit
01:55to defend Taiwan.
01:56So that's the two major factors.
01:59I think Beijing would rather sit out with President Lai's term and wait for a more friendly
02:06leader to, if possible, for a future peaceful negotiation over Taiwan's status.
02:15But I highly doubt they will sit down with President Lai because the preconditions set
02:21by the DPP as an equal partner is not going to be accepted by China.