President Lai Ching-te denies China as the motherland of Taiwan and underscores the principle of mutual non-subordination at his first National Day gala address.
President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) attended his first National Day Gala as the head of state earlier this week. He was joined on stage by opposition leaders Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), and others to celebrate the upcoming 113th anniversary of the Republic of China (ROC).
In his speech, Lai underscored the principle of mutual non-subordination between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. He added that the People's Republic of China (PRC) had just celebrated its 75th anniversary on October 1; therefore, it cannot be the motherland of the ROC. On the contrary, it is more likely that the ROC is the motherland of those over 75 years old living in China.
KMT Legislator Lee Yen-Hsiu (李彥秀) commented that by the same logic, Taiwanese people over 80 years old should call the Empire of Japan their motherland; on the other side, DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) supported Lai’s use of basic history to reaffirm that the ROC and PRC are mutually non-subordinate.
The organization of this year’s gala was led by KMT party leaders and saw the return of the ROC flag in full force. However, the highlight of the evening remains Lai’s "motherland" remarks, delivered in his capacity as president, which has spawned widespread discussion and debate.