Taiwan’s leader warned Beijing on Monday that the island would never give up its democratic way of life in a national day speech in which she drew parallels with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The self-ruled democracy’s 23 million people live under the constant threat of invasion by China’s Communist Party, and Moscow’s war in Ukraine has deepened fears that Beijing might attempt something similar with the island.
“We absolutely cannot ignore the challenge that these military expansions pose to the free and democratic world order,” she said.
Taiwan and China split at the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949.
Xi, China’s most authoritarian leader in a generation, is on the cusp of securing a third term later this month and has made taking Taiwan a key plank of his landmark “national rejuvenation” project.
“During the past 73 years, the people of Taiwan have lived and grown together on this land, and have formed our own strong sense of identity and belonging,” she said.
China cut off official ties with Taiwan after Tsai’s 2016 election because she regards the island is an already independent nation and not part of “one China”.
“We are willing to create broad space for peaceful unification, but we will never leave any space for Taiwan independence and separatist activities,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.
Taiwan is massively outgunned by China, which has the world’s largest military in terms of personnel, and has spent decades expanding its invasion capabilities.
Allies have urged Taiwan to adopt an asymmetric “porcupine strategy” that would make it hard for China’s larger military to invade, an argument that has been bolstered by the stout defence that Ukraine’s much smaller forces have put up against Moscow.
“We are ramping up the mass production of precision missiles and high-performance naval vessels,” she said.
She also reiterated the need to mobilise and train more civilians to work with the military, a strategy that Ukraine successfully adopted after Russia’s invasion.
Taiwan’s national day comes shortly after China’s and the period can be a time of heightened tensions.
So far this October has been much calmer with 25 incursions, according to an AFP database.
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