Taiwan polls 2024: Denounced as separatist by China, Vice Prez Lai Ching-te pledges to engage with Beijing if elected – Firstpost Feedzy

“Peace is priceless and war has no winners,” said Taiwan’s ruling party presidential candidate Lai Ching-te and pledged to try to engage with China if voted to power in the 13 January Taiwan elections 2024.

Addressing a press conference Tuesday in which he appeared alongside his vice presidential running mate Hsiao Bi-khim, Lai said he would maintain the status quo and pursue peace through strength if elected, remaining open to engagement with Beijing under the preconditions of equality and dignity.

China that claims Taiwan as its own territory has denounced Lai, who is currently serving as the the vice president of the country and is the member of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), as a separatist and warned that any attempt to push for Taiwan’s formal independence means conflict.

Despite this, Lai said dialogue could decrease cross-straits risks and peaceful development is in the best interests of both sides and the world.

However, “accepting China’s one-principle proposition is not true peace,” Lai said. “Peace without sovereignty is just like Hong Kong. It is fake peace.”

Taiwan’s government rejects China’s sovereignty assertion. Beijing has cast the island’s presidential and parliamentary elections on Saturday as a choice between peace and war across the Taiwan Strait.

The DPP and Taiwan’s largest opposition party – Kuomintang (KMT) – which traditionally favours close ties with China, have committed to bolstering Taiwan’s defences.

Both say only Taiwan’s 23 million people can decide their future, although the KMT says it strongly opposes independence.

In its campaign, the DPP has emphasised the need to win a parliamentary majority. If that does not happen, Lai said, it will be “very difficult” for Taiwan to respond to challenges from China as well as domestic issues.

Lai stressed he would continue the policy direction of incumbent president Tsai Ing-wen, will have served a maximum two terms of office. Tsai has repeatedly offered talks with China, which Beijing has rejected as it views her as a separatist.

Lai also said if elected, Taiwan would continue to build up its defence deterrence amid geopolitical tensions. Since the last election in 2020, China’s People’s Liberation Army has markedly stepped up military exercises around Taiwan.

“The pursuit of peace relies on strength, not the goodwill of the aggressor,” Lai said, vowing to bolster Taiwan’s military and economic strength.

Taiwan has complained over the past month of repeated intrusions by Chinese balloons over the Taiwan Strait, some of which have flown over Taiwan itself. Taiwan’s defence ministry has described the balloons as Chinese psychological warfare, though not directly saying they are for spying purposes.

At a separate briefing on Tuesday, the ministry said they had not recovered any remains of the balloons and were not at the moment considering shooting them down.

With inputs from Reuters