TAIPEI: War over Taiwan would bring about a “global catastrophe” that China would find it hard to bear, the presidential candidate for Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), William Lai, said on Saturday (Apr 15).
China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, staged war games around the island this month, expressing its anger at a meeting in Los Angeles between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
China said it had tested precision strikes and a blockade of Taiwan, whose government denounced the drills and rejects Beijing’s territorial claims.
Speaking at a campaign event in southern Taiwan’s Tainan, Lai, currently Taiwan’s vice president, said a war would have no winners, something he hoped China properly understood.
“China should clearly realise that once war is launched on Taiwan, Taiwan will admittedly be directly harmed but it will also cause a global catastrophe China will find it hard to bear,” Lai said, according to comments provided by the DPP.
Lai formally became the party’s presidential candidate this week. After two terms in office, Tsai is constitutionally barred from running again in next January’s election.
Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang, or KMT, traditionally favours close ties with China and has repeatedly criticised the DPP for being hostile and antagonistic to Beijing.
The KMT has yet to decide on its presidential candidate.