William Lai, the DPP presidential candidate, warned on Saturday that war over Taiwan would cause a “global catastrophe” that China would find hard to bear.
China, which claims Taiwan as its territory, held war simulations surrounding the island this month in response to a meeting between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles.
Taiwan’s administration blasted the drills and rejected Beijing’s territorial claims.
Lai, Taiwan’s vice president, said he hoped China recognized that the war had no victors at a campaign rally in Tainan.
“China should clearly realise that once war is launched on Taiwan, Taiwan will admittedly be directly harmed but it will also cause a global catastrophe China will find it hard to bear,” Lai stated, according to DPP statements.
Lai became the party’s presidential candidate this week. Tsai is constitutionally barred from contesting in January’s election after two terms.
The Kuomintang, or KMT, Taiwan’s primary opposition party, has always supported tight relations with China and criticized the DPP for being anti-Beijing.
KMT’s presidential candidate is undetermined.
Lai said Taiwan must prepare its defenses since China has not abandoned force over Taiwan, but nobody wants to “take the initiative to attack China.”
He reiterated Tsai’s desire for equality and respect-based talks with China.
China rejects Tsai’s dialogue requests, thinking her to be a separatist. So instead, she and Lai argue Taiwan’s destiny is up to its people.
In 2018, Lai told parliament he was a “Taiwan independence worker” and that Taiwan was a sovereign, independent nation, angering Beijing.
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