Taiwan must defend its sovereignty and recognize its own culture and history, said the island’s president, Lai Ching-te, on Sunday.
Lai, who came to power in May, supports the idea of Taiwan having a separate identity from China, a stance that often angers Beijing, which views the island as an inseparable part of Chinese territory.
Speaking at a party convention, Lai said that those who have fought for Taiwan’s democracy clearly understood the island’s place in the world.
“They did not hesitate to spill blood and sacrifice their lives against the misguided idea that ‘Taiwan is a base to retake the mainland’ and established a national policy that puts Taiwan first,” Lai said.
Chiang Kai-shek and his defeated government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing the civil war to Mao Zedong’s communists.
Chiang hoped to regroup his forces in Taiwan and attack China to overthrow Mao’s party.
Chiang died in 1975 without realizing that dream.
Lai said Taiwan now has different priorities.
“Now we have the responsibility to unite the people, oppose annexation (by China), and ensure national sovereignty,” he said, speaking in Taiwanese rather than the government’s official language, Mandarin.
“We must do our best to help people understand Taiwan’s history and culture, and create a national identity so that the 23 million people living in Taiwan have a shared destiny,” he said.
China considers the president of Taiwan a “separatist.”
Lai rejects China’s claims over Taiwan, stating that the island must decide its own future.
China sends planes and warships around Taiwan on a daily basis.
