For decades, Taiwanese leaders have performed a delicate dance of defending Taiwan’s sovereignty while not provoking Beijing. Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te is changing that.
Lai last week labeled China a “foreign hostile force,” something no other recent Taiwanese president has done. Under his watch, a Chinese influencer living in Taiwan has been ordered to leave after supporting Beijing’s view that Taiwan is part of China. He has called for reviving martial law-era military courts to better punish spies leaking national security secrets to China. And he has pledged to increase Taiwan’s defense spending to 3 percent of its gross domestic product, a level not seen in more than a decade.
It was the first time a Taiwanese president had addressed the issue of Chinese interference so publicly and boldly, analysts said. Lai’s17-point plan to address the national security threat appeared partly aimed at Taiwanese voters as his party encourages them to recall opposition lawmakers who dominate the legislature.
