Compromising with authoritarian regimes not a formula for peace: Lai

Taipei, April 10 (CNA) Peace cannot be achieved by compromising with authoritarian regimes, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said Friday, warning that doing so would undermine Taiwan's sovereignty and democracy.

Lai made the comment on his Facebook page ahead of a planned meeting in Beijing later in the day between Kuomintang (KMT) Chairperson Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).

Though he did not refer specifically to the meeting in his post, he was indirectly warning against any policy of reconciliation with China.

Taiwan "has ideals about peace, but not unrealistic illusions," Lai said, adding that history shows that compromising with authoritarian regimes comes at the cost of sovereignty and democracy and does not bring freedom or peace.

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Lai also noted that Friday marked the 47th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA), saying the law, along with the Six Assurances, reflected the shared values of democracy, freedom and human rights and has served as a key pillar of Indo-Pacific stability.

Today, 47 years after the TRA's enactment, Taiwan is widely recognized as a "beacon of democracy" with a free and diverse society, ranking among Asia's top performers in various indicators, Lai said.

The United States' support for Taiwan's security and well-being has also become a bipartisan consensus in Washington, said Lai, who asserted that the world understands that defending Taiwan means defending freedom and democracy.

Lai also used the post to push again for a supplementary budget bill to support Taiwan's purchase and development of military equipment.

He said that given China's persistent gray-zone activities and military threats around Taiwan that seriously undermine regional peace and stability, Taiwan must demonstrate its resolve to defend itself in order to secure support from its partners.

Peace must be backed by strength, which comes from long-term, steady investment in the military, he argued.

Citing the Cabinet's proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.35 billion) supplementary defense budget for weapons acquisitions over the next eight years, he blamed opposition parties for stalling the plan in Taiwan's Legislative Yuan.

Lai said such actions would weaken Taiwan's defense capabilities and could also undermine international confidence in its resolve.

The two opposition parties with legislative caucuses have proposed supplementary budgets of between NT$380 billion (US$11.95 billion) and NT$400 billion to cover a package of weapons approved for sale by the U.S. to Taiwan valued at US$11.1 billion.

Cheng's KMT also pledged to finance any additional arms packages approved by the U.S. government in the future.