Lai Ching-te, the leader of Taiwan, calls China a “foreign hostile force” as tensions rise

The president of Taiwan has declared national security measures in response to escalating tensions and referred to China as a “foreign hostile force.”

With tensions between the two countries still rising, Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, has made some of his most forceful statements to yet, calling China a “foreign hostile force.”

Introducing a number of new national security projects, he claimed that Taiwan had “no choice but to take even more proactive measures” in response. Tougher residency requirements for people from China, Hong Kong, and Macau are among them, as is the restoration of a military court system.

Lai’s comments were immediately denounced by China, whose Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Chen Binhua called him a “creator of crisis” and a “destroyer of cross-straits peace.” According to Binhua, “if” “Taiwan independence” separatist forces dare to breach the red line, China will be forced to take drastic action.

People who play with fire will undoubtedly get burned, he continued.

Taiwan views itself as separate from the Chinese mainland, whereas Beijing asserts that Taiwan is a part of its nation. Beijing has previously been angry with Lai because of her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which is viewed as pro-independence.

He was referred to as a “troublemaker” prior to the most recent elections, and Chinese official media even claimed he ought to face secession-related charges.

Lai also warned of China’s increasing espionage actions in Taiwan after a high-level national security meeting on Thursday. In an attempt to “divide, destroy, and subvert us from within,” he charged Beijing with taking advantage of Taiwan’s liberties to enlist both active and retired military personnel, organized crime organizations, and the media.

Lai claims that in 2023, Taiwanese authorities accused 64 people of spying for China, a threefold rise over 2021. The majority of the accused were active or retired military officers, he said.

Taiwan’s military court system will be restored, according to Lai, who said the action would “allow military judges to return to the frontline… to handle criminal cases involving active-duty military personnel” in order to combat China’s espionage and infiltration attempts. Taiwan had already abolished military tribunals in 2013 after receiving backlash for how they handled the death of a conscript.

According to Lai, in order to stop Beijing from forcing Taiwanese artists to take actions that “endanger national dignity,” authorities should “provide entertainers with guidelines on conduct while working in China.” This comes after Taiwanese authorities criticized entertainers for sharing social media statements that demanded Taiwan be “returned” to China.

Taiwanese singers and performers hoping to make it in China’s rich entertainment sector are increasingly being pressured to adopt pro-Beijing stances on cross-strait ties.