Taiwan is committed to self-defense, the president declares, concluding a week of defense-related activities
President Lai Ching-te concluded a week of defense events on Saturday by telling the world that Taiwan is determined to defend itself and that people should not believe any claim it has surrendered in the case of an invasion.
China, which considers the island to be its own territory, has increased military pressure on Taiwan, which is ruled democratically. The government of Taiwan disputes those assertions, stating that the destiny of the island can only be determined by its citizens.
Lai mentioned the government’s new civil defense manual, which was unveiled on Tuesday as part of attempts to prepare citizens for a potential Chinese invasion, when speaking at a seminar on Taiwan’s efforts to improve its readiness for natural disasters or war.
He addressed an audience that included Western envoys to Taipei, saying the handbook provides essential information on how to keep safe.
According to one of the handbook’s main points, “More importantly, we tell everyone, ‘In the event of a military invasion of Taiwan, any claim that the government has surrendered or that the nation has been defeated is false,'” Lai stated.
“As commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Republic of China, I want to tell my fellow citizens and the international community that this is Taiwan’s position,” he stated, referring to Taiwan by its official title.
“We are determined to defend freedom and democracy and a sustainable Taiwan.”
A request for response from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office was not answered. The use of force to subjugate Taiwan has never been abandoned by China.
This week, Taiwan held its biggest arms exhibition ever, attracting a number of foreign businesses hoping to get a piece of the island’s fast rising defense budget.
Additionally, Taiwan is aggressively pursuing stronger ties with international defense firms, including the possibility of producing weapons together.
Brandon Tseng, president of the U.S. company Shield AI, stated in a separate statement on Saturday at the opening of a branch office in Taipei that his company may employ hundreds of people in Taiwan in the next three to five years.
“It’s a region that Shield AI is deeply investing in and deeply committed to,” Tseng said in a conversation with Lai during his visit to the arms exhibition on Friday. The business was displaying its combat-tested V-BAT drones in Ukraine.
Although Tseng declined to provide information on potential sales to the island, Shield AI this month signed a “teaming agreement” with Taiwan government defense contractor Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (2634.TW), opening a new tab.
