President Lai: Taiwan can never give up, because giving up means being annexed by China

(Central News Agency, reporter Wu Shuwei, Taipei, 5th) President Lai Ching-te postponed a visit to Eswatini in April due to Chinese interference, but successfully completed the visit in May. Reflecting on the trip, President Lai pointed out that Taiwan can never give up, because if Taiwan gives up, it will be annexed by China. The vast majority of Taiwanese people are unwilling to accept Communist rule and hope to continue living a life of freedom, democracy, and human rights. Therefore, as president, he naturally cannot give up.

A joint interview with President Lai by TTV anchor Lin Yiru and UBN anchor Liu Zhuhua was broadcast this evening on UBN and TTV news channels.

Asked if he ever considered giving up on the visit to the African ally Eswatini after it was obstructed, President Lai stated that Taiwan cannot and must never give up. If Taiwan gives up, it will be annexed by China. The vast majority of Taiwanese people do not want to accept Communist rule and wish to continue a life of freedom, democracy, and human rights. As president, he naturally cannot give up.

President Lai recalled that he was indeed somewhat surprised when he heard the national security team report that the flight plan to Eswatini could not proceed smoothly. Subsequently, various plans were made to ensure the original goal of a state visit was achieved. He stated that the Republic of China is a sovereign and independent country, and it is a normal and natural thing for the president to make a state visit to an ally and participate in their major celebrations.

President Lai said that if this could not be achieved, it would have a significant impact on the confidence of the Taiwanese people and would make the international community worry about Taiwan's ability to protect itself, let alone maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Although the visit seemed merely to attend the Eswatini kingdom's celebration on schedule, it carried significant political meaning behind it, so it had to be completed.

Regarding the successful completion of the visit, President Lai noted several points. First, the diplomatic ties between Taiwan and the Kingdom of Eswatini are indeed very strong. King Mswati III is very supportive of Taiwan. He not only provided his royal plane for transportation, but upon President Lai's arrival after the celebrations had ended, the King had all the events performed again, the fireworks re-launched, the major programs re-staged, and the places for VIPs re-visited.

President Lai pointed out that he hopes the people will understand that "virtue is not left alone; it always has neighbors." Taiwan is located at a key position in the first island chain, is an important node in the non-red supply chain, and is a model of the democratic values chain. The international community strongly supports Taiwan, and the people have confidence in the country.

President Lai said that during this trip to Eswatini, he found the country to be very beautiful. It is also known as the "Switzerland of Africa," with green grasslands everywhere and lush trees, reminiscent of Taiwan or Switzerland. Eswatini has good conditions, good public security, and its land area is half that of Taiwan. It is a member of the African Common Market. Therefore, if Taiwanese businesses invest in Eswatini, they can tap into a market potential of 1.5 billion people in Africa, and they should pursue this opportunity.

President Lai stated that King Mswati III very much welcomes Taiwan and has provided Taiwan with a piece of land, an industrial innovation park of several hundred hectares, welcoming Taiwanese industries. He also called on Taiwan's traditional or tech industries, if they are interested in competing in Africa, the Kingdom of Eswatini is a very good location. (Editor: Su Longqi) 1150605