Beijing slams Lai as ‘destroyer’ of peace after leader’s anniversary speech

Beijing has accused Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te of “destroying cross-strait peace” shortly after he gave a speech to mark his second anniversary in power…

Beijing has accused Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te of “destroying cross-strait peace” shortly after he gave a speech to mark his second anniversary in power in the wake of Donald Trump’s remarks on Taiwan independence.

The State Council’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) said on Tuesday that Lai’s anniversary speech and his subsequent remarks to reporters were filled with “lies and deception, hostility and confrontation”.

Spokesman Chen Binhua said Lai had “stubbornly adhered to the erroneous stance of Taiwan independence”, and promoted what Beijing called the fallacies of “sovereign independence” and “mutual non-subordination”.

Lai had once again proven himself to be an outright “destroyer of cross-strait peace” and a “maker of Taiwan Strait crises”, Chen said.

The tough talk came after US President Donald Trump said last week he did not support Taiwan independence and was “not looking to have somebody go independent”, remarks that reignited debate on the island over whether Taipei could be left out in the cold in a broader US-China bargain.

Lai’s televised speech appeared to be aimed at addressing those concerns by portraying his administration as firm but measured in defending the island against pressure from Beijing.

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