Taiwan President Lai Ching-te has called for continued military strength and national unity during a visit to the sensitive frontline island of Kinmen, saying peace must be protected "through strength."
In heavy rain, Lai laid a wreath and bowed at a memorial park for the 68th anniversary of the 1958 clash with Chinese forces, known as the start of the second Taiwan Strait crisis - the last time Taiwanese and Chinese forces battled on a large scale.
Addressing veterans later, Lai expressed gratitude to those who "stood united and fought a bloody battle to repel Communist totalitarian aggression."
"Our resolve to unite in defending national sovereignty and safeguarding peace across the Taiwan Strait must never waver," Lai said. "Peace has never simply fallen from the sky."
The 1958 battle proves "that peace is secured through strength," he said, adding it was necessary to maintain "the spirit of never yielding an inch" of Taiwan, Kinmen and another group of islands, while continuously boosting military spending.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Taiwan has controlled the Kinmen and Matsu islands, which lie just off the Chinese coast, since the Republic of China government fled to Taipei in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong's communists. No peace treaty or armistice has ever been signed.
The islands sit close to China’s coast, with Kinmen located less than 2 kilometres from Chinese-controlled territory.
During the 1958 crisis, Chinese forces launched weeks of bombardment against Kinmen and Matsu, with Taiwan resisting the attacks with support from the United States.
The crisis ended in a stalemate.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has repeatedly criticised and denounced Lai, accusing him of separatism. Lai rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying Taiwan’s future should be decided by its people.
Lai also pointed to continued Chinese military pressure, including regular coast guard patrols around Kinmen since early 2024.
He said China’s actions had created uncertainty across the Indo-Pacific and called for continued investment in Taiwan’s defence capabilities.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s government has announced that it's defence spending will exceed T$1 trillion ($30 billion) next year for the first time, with Lai urging support for the increased budget.
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight killed at least two people and injured 15 others, including two children, Ukrainian authorities said.&nbs...
Saudi Aramco has ordered staff to evacuate its headquarters amid escalating Houthi attacks on the kingdom. Two people were killed in an attack on D...
Nigeria's first Ebola case in more than a decade may be linked to travel in Uganda, Swiss authorities said on Thursday, although the source of ...
Russia is willing in principle to resume peace talks with Ukraine and the United States in November, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said after President Vladimir Putin met U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg.
Saudi Aramco has ordered staff to evacuate its headquarters amid escalating Houthi attacks on the kingdom. Two people were killed in an attack on Dammam airport, while Iran's IRGC Navy claimed strikes on seven vessels and warned the U.S. of a wider response.
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight killed at least two people and injured 15 others, including two children, Ukrainian authorities said. Meanwhile, Russia said it had intercepted the vast majority of 630 Ukrainian drones launched towards Moscow.
Yemen's Houthis have denied targeting the holy city of Medina on Wednesday adding that they have not conducted any military operations towards Saudi Arabia either, denying earlier comments from the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
Georgia’s Constitutional Court in Batumi will on Wednesday hear a lawsuit seeking to ban five Georgian opposition parties, four of which collectively gained 784,820 votes (37.79 per cent) in the country’s last national elections in 2024.
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight killed at least two people and injured 15 others, including two children, Ukrainian authorities said. Meanwhile, Russia said it had intercepted the vast majority of 630 Ukrainian drones launched towards Moscow.
Nigeria's first Ebola case in more than a decade may be linked to travel in Uganda, Swiss authorities said on Thursday, although the source of infection remains unclear. Uganda maintains it has no cases of the disease.
Super typhoon Champi is set to batter Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture from Friday (23 October), bringing violent winds, torrential rain and waves up to 11 metres high, as airlines cancel flights and organisers scrap a major festival.
Two women from Austria and Switzerland have been freed after lengthy periods in captivity in Niger, following extensive diplomatic efforts to secure their release amid growing concerns over kidnappings in the Sahel region.
France has reported its first known human case of Shamonda virus following the death of an infected patient, authorities said on Thursday (22 October). The virus, typically found in livestock, is believed to have been transmitted by a biting midge.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment