Taiwan's president says future will not be decided by external forces'

"Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te said the future of Taiwan should not be decided by foreign forces but is instead in the hands of its 23 million citizens. Speaking on the second anniversary of his inauguration on Wednesday, Lai said his goal as president continued to be maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait the 180km (112-mile) waterway dividing Taiwan from China and to prevent external forces from altering the island's political status quo."

"The president said he was still willing to engage with Beijing, which cut off communication with Taipei in 2016, but only through orderly exchanges based on the principles of equality and dignity. Taiwan is a responsible member of the international community, not a party that undermines stability, he also said, in an apparent swipe at Beijing."

"China's Taiwan Affairs Office on Wednesday accused Lai of inciting cross-strait confrontation by supporting Taiwan independence in remarks coinciding with his anniversary. The office's spokesperson, Zhu Fenglian, said Lai peddles separatist fallacies while using a narrative of democracy versus authoritarianism to describe the Taiwan-China relationship. Zhu also accused Lai of ignoring the wellbeing of the Taiwanese public to pander to external forces attempting to seek independence through foreign aid' and seek independence through force'."

"Lai has faced a tumultuous 24 months as president, with pressures from both inside and outside Taiwan, including from traditional ally the United States. The opposition-controlled legislature cut down a signature special defence budget from $40bn to $25bn, and this week tried and failed to impeach him over a tax revenue dispute. He has a 38 percent approval rating, according to a poll conducted earlier this month by news network TVBS, which, while low, is still better than his 32 percent approval rat"

Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te said Taiwan’s future should be determined by its people rather than foreign forces. He stated his goal is to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and prevent external forces from altering the island’s political status quo. Lai said he remains willing to engage with Beijing, but only through orderly exchanges based on equality and dignity. He described Taiwan as a responsible member of the international community and criticized actions that undermine stability. China accused Lai of inciting confrontation by supporting Taiwan independence and used democracy versus authoritarianism framing. Lai also faced internal political pressure, including legislature cuts to a special defense budget and an attempted impeachment over a tax revenue dispute.

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