Lai Ching-te: Meaning of 'Taiwan Independence' is that Taiwan Does Not Belong to the PRC

President Lai Ching-te, who is also the chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), attended a youth forum in Taipei today as part of a series of events commemorating the 40th anniversary of the DPP's founding. He said that the meaning of the two words 'Taiwan independence' actually refers to Taiwan not being part of the People's Republic of China, and that the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China are not subordinate to each other. Former U.S. President Donald Trump, in an interview with Fox News, stated that he does not want to see Taiwan move toward independence but rather maintain the status quo, and said that both China and Taiwan should de-escalate the situation; Trump also said that U.S. policy toward Taiwan has not changed. Today, Lai Ching-te attended a DPP youth forum, where he mentioned that 1986, 1990, 1996, and 2000 were milestones for the DPP and for Taiwan's democratic movement. The DPP was founded on September 28, 1986; 1990 was the year of the Wild Lily student movement; 1996 saw the first direct presidential election and the missile crisis; and 2000 marked the first transfer of political power between parties. Lai stated that this year is very meaningful: it marks 40 years since the birth of Taiwan's first local democratic party. The DPP was born during the martial law period, shouldering the great mission of the nation's future development. It is also 30 years since the first direct presidential election, which declared to the international community that Taiwan is fully democratized and a new nation where sovereignty resides with the people, a very significant event. He said that the 'Free China' journal, founded by political commentators Lei Chen, Yin Hai-kuang, and Fu Cheng, argued that 'retaking the mainland is a hopeless proposition' and advocated for allowing the formation of new political parties to supervise the then corrupt government through party politics. During Lei Chen's 10 years in prison, Peng Ming-min, Hsieh Tsung-min, and Wei Ting-chao published the 'Declaration of Formosan Self-Salvation,' which had a similar argument to Lei's: retaking the mainland was hopeless, party politics and democracy should be implemented, and a country of their own should be established. Lai pointed out that the DPP's founding on September 28, 1986, fulfilled a goal that Taiwanese society had pursued for decades: to establish party politics and democratize Taiwan. He stated that whether it is the DPP's 'Resolution on Taiwan's Future' or former President Tsai Ing-wen's 'Four Commitments,' they are the current national policies promoted by the DPP and his administration. Lai emphasized that the meaning of the two words 'Taiwan independence' actually refers to Taiwan not being part of the People's Republic of China, and that the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China are not subordinate to each other. He said that the nation's future requires everyone's continued effort; to unite to defend national sovereignty, uphold Taiwan's democracy, and care for all the people. Without national sovereignty, there is no democracy; with sovereignty, the people have the opportunity to be masters. Without sovereignty, how can the people be masters, and there can be no democracy for the people; with Taiwan, there is sovereignty and a nation; with Taiwan, there is the Republic of China. Lai stated that as president, he is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. In the main halls of the army, navy, and air force academies, there is a couplet that reads, 'What are we fighting for? For the Republic of China. For whom are we fighting? For the 23 million people of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu.' It does not say we are fighting for over a billion people. He pointed out that the Republic of China has been in Taiwan for 70 or 80 years and has already integrated with Taiwan. The DPP's 2004 'Resolution on Ethnic Diversity and National Unity' also holds this view. Ethnic diversity means that in Taiwan, regardless of when one arrived or which ethnic group one belongs to, as long as one identifies with Taiwan, one is a master of the country. He said that national unity means that everyone lives in different environments and naturally has different national identities, which should all be respected. Some have a Taiwanese identity, some have a Republic of China identity, but whether it's a Taiwanese identity or a Republic of China identity, they are basically the same because the substance of the nation is its territory, people, sovereignty, and government, which is the 23 million people of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu. Lai said that Article 2 of the Constitution states that the sovereignty of the Republic of China shall reside in the whole body of citizens; Article 3 of the Constitution of the Republic of China states that persons having the nationality of the Republic of China shall be citizens of the Republic of China. The sovereignty of the Republic of China belongs to those who have the nationality of the Republic of China, and who has the nationality of the Republic of China is the 23 million people of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu. He pointed out that everyone should unite. Whether it's called the Republic of China, the Republic of China Taiwan, or Taiwan, basically, no matter how it's called internationally, it basically refers to the 23 million people of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu. Lai said he hopes the youth understand how arduous Taiwan's democratic movement was, a result of the joint efforts of many people from all ethnic groups and regions. We must cherish the hard-won democracy, continue to protect and deepen it, and give the next generation a better country.