In marking the 113th anniversary of its founding Lai said, “The Republic of China [the island’s official title] has already settled down in Taiwan, Quemoy, Matsu and Penghu, and it is not subordinate to the People’s Republic of China”.
Lai made the remarks outside the presidential office building in Taipei on Thursday, adding that the two sides of the strait should have equal status, and that he was committed to peace across the strait.
The leader’s address on Double Tenth Day, has traditionally been used as a platform for Taipei to send a message to Beijing, and observers, on cross-strait relations, and came as tensions rise between the two sides.
October 10, or Double Tenth, marks the start of the 1911 revolution that ended the Qing dynasty and led to the founding of the Republic of China. It has been celebrated in Taiwan since the Nationalists fled to the island in 1949 after being defeated by the Communists in the Chinese civil war.
Chinese President Xi Jinping used his annual National Day address last month to warn Taiwan “separatists”.
“We must … promote the spiritual harmony of compatriots on both sides of the strait, and resolutely oppose ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist activities,” he said at an official event in Beijing on September 30 to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic on October 1.
