中文
By Yuan Sha
Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te embarked on a speech tour across China's Taiwan region. Contrary to the so-called theme of "10 talks on unity," Lai's talks are filled with hatred, division and fearmongering.
During the talks, Lai claimed that "Taiwan is a country" and went to great length to hype the new "two states" theory to whitewash the "Taiwan independence" narrative. He characterized the Chinese mainland as an "external hostile force," smeared normal Cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation as "united front infiltration threats," and vilified the sincerity and good intentions of the mainland towards Taiwan compatriots.
Lai's talks of disunity revealed his personal ambitions and calculations.
First of all, the talks serve as a manifesto of "Taiwan independence." As the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office put it succinctly, Lai's remarks are essentially a veiled push for "Taiwan independence" and represent a deliberate effort to strengthen the "Taiwan separatist" identity. He went so far as to distort history, promote "de-Sinicization" and stir up hostility toward Beijing by fomenting the "anti-China and anti-mainland" sentiment on the island.
Furthermore, Lai's talks are intended to reap political rewards for himself. At a time when Taiwan is caught in a wave of large-scale recall efforts targeting over 20 legislators of the Chinese Kuomintang, Taiwan's election commission announced on June 20 that the first round of voting would take place on July 26. Just two days later, on June 22, Lai launched his speech tour.
To expand the momentum of the recall campaign, Lai tried to play up the "China threat" narrative, seeking to heighten public anxiety, and promoting hardline policies toward the mainland and discrediting opposition forces that advocate for more moderate approaches to Cross-Straits relations – all in an effort to consolidate his own political authority.
Moreover, Lai's rhetoric follows the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) usual playbook of "seeking independence by relying on external support." With U.S. President Donald Trump returning to the White House, Lai and his DPP authorities are increasingly worried about being sidelined or discarded by the U.S. Thus, he will go to great lengths to align himself with the U.S. administration and capitalize on its strategic competition with China.
Driven by such motives, Lai's talks have drawn widespread criticism on both sides of the Taiwan Straits. His obsession with promoting "de-Sinicization" reflects a form of historical distortion that threatens to sever Taiwan from its cultural and historical foundations. The fact that both sides of the Taiwan Straits belong to one China and compatriots on both sides are Chinese has never changed and cannot be changed. It would be a futile attempt by Lai to deny such blood bondage.
His talks appear unconvincing in light of the pressing social challenges on the island. Many in Taiwan are facing growing hardship, especially as a result of the "reciprocal tariffs" imposed by the Trump administration. Rather than using his tour as an opportunity to engage with public concerns and address Taiwan's socio-economic issues, Lai chose to deflect attention by fabricating an external threat – shifting focus away from real problems facing Taiwan society.
More disconcertingly, as a notorious troublemaker and agitator, his talk revealed the dangerous inclination to incite Cross-Strait tensions and confrontation. While Trump has previously dismissed Taiwan as insignificant – likening it to a mere "tip of a pen" – he appears willing to exploit it as a strategic bargaining chip to counter China.
In fact, the Trump administration has proposed that Taiwan should allocate up to 10 percent of its GDP to "defense spending," a move aimed at both further militarizing the region and making Taiwan pay for the U.S. "blank check" of "security guarantee."
This year marks not only the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, but also the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's recovery from Japanese occupation. Taiwan returning to China is an important component of the post-war international order. It is imperative to repudiate the dangerous separatist intention of DPP authorities led by Lai and maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, in an ultimate goal to realize China's complete reunification and achieve national rejuvenation.
Yuan Sha, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is deputy director at the Department for Global Governance and International Organization Studies under the China Institute of International Studies.
