BEIJING/TAIPEI –
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te is stirring up tension with “sinister intentions,” according to China’s government, in anticipation of a critical speech Lai is scheduled to deliver in Taipei that could provoke a military retaliation from China.
Lai, who assumed office in May following his election in January, is strongly opposed by China, labeling him as a “separatist.” Beijing insists that Taiwan, which is governed democratically, belongs to China, a claim that Lai and his administration refuse to accept.
Following Lai’s remarks over the weekend asserting that it is “impossible” for the People’s Republic of China to be considered Taiwan’s motherland due to Taiwan’s deeper political roots, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office criticized him for distorting the facts.