Lai calls Beijing 'aggressor' threatening peace

Taipei, May 20 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Tuesday called out China for threatening peace across the Taiwan Strait, despite reiterating his openness to engaging in dialogue with Beijing.

"The aggressor is the one that undermines peace," Lai said of China after delivering a speech that marked the anniversary of his taking office exactly one year ago.

"Many countries around the world, including Taiwan, are in fact under the threat of aggressors," he said, noting that Taiwan was, on the contrary, committed to pursing peace.

The president was responding to a reporter's question about the ongoing cross-strait tensions and China's apparent use of large-scale military exercises around Taiwan whenever Lai, whom Beijing strongly opposes, delivered key speeches over the past year.

Since Lai of the Democratic Progressive Party took office on May 20, 2024, Beijing has also intensified its gray-zone tactics -- coercive actions that stop short of direct military conflict or war -- including the alleged sabotage of undersea cables by Chinese vessels.

Meanwhile, Lai has toughened his cross-strait policy in recent months, drawing a difference from the more moderate approach adopted by his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).

In March, he described China as a "foreign hostile force" when he accused China of rising infiltrations, spying activities, and united-front work against Taiwan and pledged multiple measures in response to those national security threats.

The pledged measures include reinstating military courts, tightening controls on cultural and people-to-people exchanges between the two sides, and expanding the screening of cross-strait flows of talent, goods, and capital, among others.

Despite his branding China as an "aggressor," Lai reiterated on Tuesday his openness to continuing exchanges and collaborations with China provided that each side treats the other equally and with respect.

He said he remained willing to "engage in dialogue instead of confrontation" and work with China toward peace and prosperity.