Taiwan president takes a more striking position towards China

After the Taiwan president, Lay Cheng T, launched a massive campaign this month against what warned that expanding the scope of Chinese sabotage and spying, the reverse reaction was quickly.

Through the Taiwan Strait, Beijing returned, and sent a boom of military aircraft and ships near the island Warning this He was “playing with fire.” In Taiwan, Mr. Lay’s opponents accused him seriously.

But Mr. Lay shakes that he can – and his supporters say, on a more difficult line against Chinese influence now, despite the threats of Beijing and the possibility that Taiwan opposition parties will dig deeper against his agenda.

Mr. Lay seems to have concluded that China will limit its actions against Taiwan while Beijing focuses on trying to negotiate with President Trump on the escalating trade war, David Sachs, A colleague of the Foreign Relations Council monitors the Taiwanese affairs.

“The best guess is that he evaluated that, if he would do so, he must do this at a time when China does not want anything to complicate its discussions with the United States,” said Mr. Sachs, in an interview with Mr. Lay’s security steps.

Political parties have argued in Taiwan for decades about whether they are going to try to work with the island or enlighten them from neighboring China, which claims Taiwan as its lands, which will take it by force if the leaders of Beijing decides. The dispute has taken a more severe feature since Mr. Lay announced on March 13 that China was a “hostile hostile force” that exploits the freedoms of Taiwan “to divide us, destroy us and sabotage us from within.

he I put 17 steps to respondIncluding the military courts to restore the experience of Taiwanese military personnel accused of espionage and other security crimes. He wants to closely monitor the Taiwanese people’s contacts with China to stop what he said was Beijing’s political exploitation of religious, educational and cultural exchanges. He called for more disclosure of Taiwanese politicians visiting China. Many of these politicians belong to the opposition National Party.

“We have no choice but to take more proactive measures,” said Mr. Lay.

Beijing, Mr. Lay, and his progressive Democratic party, despises them, accusing them of separatists. Chinese officials rapidly condemned Mr. Lay’s speech, especially his use of the term “hostile hostile force”. The opposition National Party in Taiwan, who prefers relations and speaks with China, accused Mr. Lay for tensions unnecessarily.

“In particular, the main righteousness of China and the Communist Party is somewhat provoking,” Hsu chia-hsinA prominent national deputy said, in an interview. “This will lead to more tensions across the strait.”

The nationalist politicians said that they will resist at least some of the proposed steps for Mr. Lay. They argue that re -this Military courtsAnd that was canceled in 2013 after protests against the violations of the soldiers, retreated. “Many of these 17 steps restrict the civil rights of people.”

Co Chih BenAnother legislator accused the National Party, Mr. Lay of deliberately throwing his local critics as “red” tools in Beijing. “Do not make it like anyone who has any connection with China who is given a red hat so that everyone is in fear.”

The increasing political part of Mr. Lay’s plans, including the proposed increase in military spending aimed at calming Washington. President Trump and his team They said that Taiwan The defense budget must be raised sharply, to up to 10 percent of its economy, an increase of 2.45 percent of the budget.

Mr. Lay Last month he pledged To use an additional “special budget” later this year to push public defense spending to more than 3 percent of the economy. But the increase must win with the approval of the Legislative Council in Taiwan, where the nationalists and the younger party, the People’s Taiwan, holds the majority.

Mr. Lay may think that despite their anger at him, Taiwan opposition parties will eventually support the planned increase in military spending, Mr. Sachs He said.

“I think part of the Lai account account is that if the opposition plays games with increased defensive spending, this will attract Washington’s attention in a way that they really don’t want,” said Mr. Sachs.

When the main annual budget in Taiwan passed this year, the opposition imposed the discounts and conditions that the government of Mr. Lay said to hinder government operations. The opposition parties said that the discounts were aimed at waste spending, and the military alert would not be harmed by Taiwan due to their measures.

“My feeling is that the President Lay will eventually be able to obtain a special budget by the legislative body, but at some political costs,” he said in some political costs. Russell HussiaoExecutive Director of the Taiwan International Institute in Washington. “The opposition parties and the ruling party will make it a political price, although in the end, it will comply with it – partially because they know that Washington is paying attention closely.”

He said that negotiations on a private budget can be lengthy and tense, even if the two parties generally agree on more military spending Rimon Cheng-Vice President of the PROSICT FOUNDATION, a government institute in Taipei. Mr. Song said: “The limited opportunity window we have to accomplish this can fade,” said Mr. Song.

Several national lawmakers, including Richard Jong Kang Chen, former Admiral, said they had widely supported an increase in military spending. Mr. Chen said that the polarized atmosphere made the legislative more difficult. Like most opposing politicians, he blamed Mr. Lay in the conversation. The side of Mr. Lay blames the obstruction of the opposition parties.

“If it is harshly, there is no contact now between the two parties,” said Mr. Chen about the nationalists and the Progressive Democratic Party.

Mr. Lay won 40 percent of voting In the presidential elections last year, but his party lost it in the legislative body, which led to a repeated confrontation on Mr. Lay’s initiatives. I broke the fight In the Legislative Chamber of Taiwan, the opponents of the National Party and the People’s Party Protests similar Outside the legislative building last year.

Hoping to weaken the grip of the opposition parties against the legislative body, the Progressive Democratic Party Satisfied with a summons A campaign against opposition lawmakers, using a base that the legislative body members can face new elections, outside the usual session, if a sufficient number of voters falls on petitions. The National Party, in turn, supported the petitions against legislators at DPP.

The recent Sayyid Lai’s speech on China said he was partially aimed at sharpening the contrast with the opposition, and he said Ryan HaasExpert in China and Taiwan at the Brookings Institute. “I think he was supposed to clarify the control of the narration, and to put the people who oppose his agenda on his background,” Mr. Haas said in an interview during his visit to Taipei.

However, he and many other experts say that Taiwan is facing increasing efforts from China to unconditionally influence public opinion on the island, erode confidence in its governmental and military forces, and collect intelligence.

Mr. Lay said that the increasing threat from China was reflected in the data: 64 people were concerned with spying in Taiwan in 2024, according to what he said, three times the number accused of crime in 2021.

Mr. Lay said that most of the spying defendants were former or current members of the armed forces in Taiwan.