KINMEN, Taiwan: Taiwan cherishes its freedom and democracy and no “exterior drive” can change its future, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te mentioned on Friday (Oct 25), visiting delicate frontline islands subsequent to China for the seventy fifth anniversary of a key victory over communist forces.
Taiwan has managed Kinmen, and the Matsu islands to the north, for the reason that defeated Republic of China authorities fled to Taipei in 1949 after shedding a civil conflict with Mao Zedong’s communists.
Lai advised veterans and members of the family that the October 1949 Battle of Guningtou, when republican forces beat off an invasion try of Kinmen by the Individuals’s Liberation Military “represents our willpower to guard our nation”.
“The Battle of Guningtou makes us realise that democracy and freedom are usually not one thing to be taken with no consideration,” Lai mentioned.
“We treasure a democratic and free lifestyle, and we can not, and won’t, enable any exterior drive to alter the way forward for Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, proper?” Lai added, referring to all of the island teams the federal government controls, although with out instantly mentioning China.
Beijing detests Lai as a “separatist” and views democratically ruled Taiwan as its personal territory, a declare he rejects, saying solely Taiwan’s individuals can resolve their future.
China staged a day of war games round Taiwan earlier this month it mentioned have been a warning to “separatist acts”.
