Taiwan’s leader launched a new effort to promote unity in the face of Chinese aggression.
President Lai Ching-te plans to deliver a series of speeches over the next several weeks that will stress Taiwan’s identity as a “sovereign state.”
The campaign comes as Lai’s party looks to retake control of Taiwan’s parliament through a vote this week that seeks to recall dozens of members of the opposition party. They have faced pushback over efforts to slash government spending, which critics say could weaken Taiwan’s defense against growing Chinese military threats, Focus Taiwan wrote.
Yet Beijing, which views Taiwan as a breakaway province it will eventually absorb, could ramp up its aggression in response to Lai’s heightened rhetoric, experts said.