Since Taiwan’s democratization, this is the first time a president has declared communist China a foreign hostile force of the self-ruled island.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s recent declaration of communist China as a “foreign hostile force” and the restoration of the country’s military tribunal system have sparked widespread attention.
Observers say that Lai’s statement regarding the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) closely relates to the Trump administration’s strategy toward the regime and the overall international situation.
On March 13, Lai held a press conference following a high-level national security meeting. He announced 17 major strategies to address the national security threats Taiwan now faces from the CCP.
He said that the meeting was held in response to the CCP’s infiltration and other tactics aimed at annexing Taiwan. He called on every Taiwanese citizen to actively participate in safeguarding democracy and freedom, to enhance their understanding of the CCP’s “united front tactics” to expand its influence, and to reject any activities that undermine national interests.
US–Taiwan Cooperation
Sheng Xue, a Canadian writer and vice president of the Federation for a Democratic China, said that Lai’s statement is closely related to the international situation, especially the Trump administration’s policy toward China.
Since President Donald Trump took office, confrontations between the two countries have escalated across the board, including the State Department distinguishing the CCP from the Chinese people and the United States trying to hold the CCP responsible for covering up the pandemic. It’s foreseeable that the U.S. will push for harsher sanctions against the CCP, Sheng told The Epoch Times.
Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) nations on March 14 signaled a hard line on the CCP as they affirmed opposition to any unilateral attempts to alter Taiwan’s status by coercion.
All these moves are bound to provide Lai with stronger political support. His statement was a reflection of the overall international situation, she said.
Yuan Hongbing, an Australia-based former law professor at Peking University, concurred.
