Lai reiterates self-defense resolve, says China altering regional status quo

Taipei, June 25 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Thursday said China, not Taiwan, is the party undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific, reiterating that strengthening Taiwan's self-defense capabilities is not a provocation but a necessary step to safeguard democracy.

Speaking at the eighth meeting of the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee, Lai said Beijing has in recent years intensified gray-zone activities, coercion and infiltration targeting neighboring countries, including Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines, fueling concerns across the Indo-Pacific and internationally.

"It is clear from China's authoritarian expansion that China is the one changing the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and undermining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific," Lai said. "Taiwan's efforts to strengthen its self-defense capabilities, preserve the peaceful status quo and protect our democratic way of life are absolutely not acts of provocation."

He said Beijing's recent maritime operations in the East China Sea, South China Sea and around the Taiwan Strait, conducted under the guise of law enforcement, patrols or surveys, were no longer merely technical activities but efforts to expand its influence while undermining regional peace and the rules-based international order.

Lai also cited last week's Group of Seven (G7) leaders' summit, saying its joint statement reaffirmed the importance of a free and open Indo-Pacific based on the rule of law and opposed any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the East China Sea, South China Sea or Taiwan Strait by force or coercion.

Taiwan will answer the G7's call by upholding the principles of collective defense and burden-sharing, Lai said, adding that Taiwan will continue working closely with like-minded countries to strengthen deterrence and jointly safeguard peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.

The president thanked members of the armed forces and the Coast Guard Administration for responding to China's activities on the front line, and stressed that safeguarding national sovereignty and security is a responsibility shared by the whole of society rather than the military alone.

He underscored the importance of the ability to continue normal government operations and social functions during crises.

"Preparedness brings greater security," Lai said, adding that the government will continue to enhance Taiwan's defense resilience through interagency and cross-sector cooperation, exercises and reviews to strengthen the country's ability to respond to hybrid threats.