The presidential candidate for Taiwan’s ruling party vowed to protect the status quo with China if elected, comments intended to reassure voters and the US that he can be trusted to handle a difficult relationship with Beijing.
Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Vice President Lai Ching-te said he’d build up Taiwan’s military deterrence capabilities, ensure economic security, partner with other democracies and conduct “steady and principled cross-strait leadership.”
“I will support the cross-strait status quo,” the Democratic Progressive Party chairman wrote on Tuesday. “I will always work toward peace and stability for the people of Taiwan and the international community.”
See: Taiwan Presidential Hopeful Vows to Maintain Peace With China
Lai’s article signals to the US and its allies that he is on board with one of their key positions regarding Taiwan. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said last month that “the United States remains deeply committed to preserving the status quo,” and Group of Seven leaders made similar comments in a May statement.
While Austin’s remarks were aimed at what he termed China’s “bullying” in the region, Washington is eager to ensure that Taipei doesn’t unnecessarily antagonize Beijing. President Joe Biden has repeatedly pledged to defend Taiwan if it is invaded.
Taipei’s relationship with Beijing is a main campaign issue for the January 2024 vote, which President Tsai Ing-wen is ineligible to contest due to term limits.
Beijing has refused to hold any talks with Tsai unless she accepts that both sides belong to “one China.” It has also responded to her meetings with US House speakers by holding major military drills around Taiwan twice since August.
Tsai has made enhancing Taiwan’s standing on the world stage a main feature of her more than seven years in office, so Lai’s pledge to form partnerships “around the world” would be an extension of that policy.
Lai met with a visiting delegation of Canadian lawmakers on Wednesday, saying discussions on foreign investment got started. Also, Taiwanese Justice Minister Tsai Ching-hsiang held talks with German counterpart Marco Buschmann in Berlin, the first ever meeting of justice ministers from the two sides.
Lai’s comments come after the opposition Kuomintang’s candidate for 2024, Hou Yu-ih, said he would “ensure stability and peace across the strait.”
Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People’s Party, the third main presidential contender, said during a visit to Japan last month that ensuring peace required maintaining a strong self-defense force while also communicating with Beijing.
Ko, a former mayor of Taipei, has made stepping up engagement with Beijing a key plank of his campaign.
(Updates with Lai meeting Canadian lawmakers and meeting of ministers in Germany.)
