TAIPEI: The leading candidate to be Taiwan’s new president, Vice President William Lai, said in an interview on Tuesday (Aug 15) that he has no plans to change the island’s formal name, but reiterated that Taiwan is “not subordinate” to China.
Beijing dislikes Lai for previous comments saying he is a “practical worker for Taiwan independence” – a red line for China, which views the democratically governed island as part of its territory.
Lai has repeatedly said that he is not seeking to change the status quo and that he is simply stating a fact: That Taiwan is already an independent country called the Republic of China, its formal name, and that only Taiwan’s people can decide their future.
“We must abide by the truth – which is what I mean by pragmatism – which is Taiwan is already a sovereign, independent country called the Republic of China. It is not part of the People’s Republic of China,” he said in an interview with the Bloomberg news agency. “The ROC and PRC are not subordinate to one another. It is not necessary to declare independence. The ROC (Taiwan) is not subordinate to the PRC.”
The defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong’s communists, who established the People’s Republic of China.