Vice President William Lai encouraged the Taiwanese to “choose democracy” a day after China ceased military drills surrounding the self-ruled island.
Beijing held three drills and combat training days on Tuesday after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen met with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles last week.
In his first speech after gaining the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) nomination, Lai compared Tsai’s defense of democracy with that of her predecessor, former president Ma Ying-jeou from the major opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), who visited China while Tsai was in the U.S.
“Former President Ma walked back inside the framework of the ‘One China’ idea,” Lai stated.
“These will be the two entirely different alternatives the country will confront after 2024, therefore the 2024 election will decide Taiwan’s direction—on the future of a democratic system, the next generation’s satisfaction, and Indo-Pacific peace and stability.”
The first Taiwanese president to visit China was Ma, who served from 2008 to 2016. No island leader had visited China since 1949, when the Republic of China retreated to Taiwan after losing a civil war to Mao Zedong’s communists.
Ma concluded his tour by saying Tsai’s administration had put Taiwan “between peace and conflict.”
Ma claimed his trip showed that Taiwan and China could cooperate because both are part of a single China, albeit each can define the word differently. However, the DPP criticized Ma for failing to support Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Tsai’s government rejected China’s sovereignty claims, stating only the Taiwanese could decide their destiny. Beijing views her as a separatist and rejects her discussion offers.
Relations with China are anticipated to dominate the 2020 election, which the DPP won by vowing to stand up to China.
Due to constitutional term restrictions, Tsai cannot run again as president, and Lai was the DPP’s only choice, making the announcement a formality.
He became party chairman in January after Tsai resigned in November after the DPP’s local election defeat.
The KMT, which favors Beijing, has not chosen a presidential candidate. Instead, KMT New Taipei mayor Hou Yu-it is a leading candidate.
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