The Guardian-China warns of reprisals against Taiwan after presidents inauguration speech
May 22, 2024 4 min 661 words
西方媒体的这篇报道主要聚焦台湾总统莱赢德的就职演讲，以及中国大陆对此的反应。报道指出，莱赢德的演讲重申了台湾主权立场，拒绝承认北京的 一个中国 原则，将台湾定义为中华人民共和国的一个省份。中国大陆的回应则强烈谴责莱赢德的演讲，称其言论是 台湾独立的坦白承认，并再次贴标签他为 危险的分裂主义者。报道还提到，中国大陆官媒《环球时报》发表社论批评莱赢德的言论将加剧两岸对抗和不稳定。 评论： 该报道虽基本陈述事实，但明显带有偏见，试图挑起事端。首先，它将台湾总统的就职演讲和中国的反击置于对抗框架下，渲染紧张气氛。其次，报道中出现 危险的分裂主义者 和 挑衅 等主观性强的措辞，带有强烈的负面评价，而对中国大陆方面的施压行为却轻描淡写。此外，报道中提及的 军事接管 和 吞并 等词语也带有强烈的煽动性，刻意营造一种中国大陆对台湾施加武力威胁的印象。然而，报道却对台湾总统明确拒绝 一中 原则的事实一带而过，缺乏客观平衡。该报道的偏颇之处还体现在对历史背景和两岸关系复杂性的简略处理上，缺乏更深入全面的分析，这可能导致读者对两岸关系现状和未来发展产生片面理解。
Beijing has warned of undefined reprisals against Taiwan after the inauguration speech of new president Lai Ching-te in which he maintained his government’s position on sovereignty, and did not concede to Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is a province of China.
In a statement late Tuesday, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) called Lai’s speech “a downright confession of Taiwan independence”, and again labeled Lai a “dangerous separatist”.
“No one hopes to achieve the reunification of the motherland through peaceful means more than we do,” the statement attributed to TAO spokesperson Chen Binhua said. “However, we must counterattack and punish the DPP authorities in colluding with external forces to pursue ‘independence’ provocations.”
Lai was inaugurated on Monday, taking the helm from his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen, whom he had served as vice-president. Beijing was expected to react negatively to Lai’s inauguration speech – it claims that Taiwan is an “inalienable” part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and that what it calls “reunification” is inevitable. Any speech by a president belonging to the DPP – Lai’s party – short of capitulating to that position was likely to provoke an angry response.
An entire page of the national party mouthpiece, China Daily, was devoted to Beijing’s response on Tuesday.
“‘Lai-style Taiwan independence’ will only exacerbate the confrontation and instability across the Straits, inevitably leading to self-overestimation and self-destruction,” said an editorial in the hawkish Global Times tabloid.
Lai is known to have stronger views on Taiwan independence than Tsai, but has toned down his position in recent years and pledged to continue Tsai’s more moderate policy path of protecting the status quo, maintaining Taiwan’ sovereignty, and deterring Chinese aggression.
His speech mostly toed that line, but some analysts noted that it contained crucial difference in the way it discussed the management of cross-strait relations.
Tsai often relied on the ambiguities contained within the Republic of China (Taiwan’s formal name) constitution, particularly around the idea of “one China” – which Beijing believes includes Taiwan, under PRC rule – and how both sides are defined and managed. She would often refer to the “two sides of the Strait” rather than using the names of the two countries.
“Tsai throughout her eight years used this ambiguity to offer a gesture to Beijing,” said International Crisis Group senior analyst, Amanda Hsiao. “She consistently said that cross-strait affairs would be conducted in accordance with the ROC constitution, without elaborating on what that exactly meant and without giving up the DPP’s position [that the two sides have always been separate].”
In contrast, Lai’s speech rejected some of those ambiguities in favour of explicits. He said the constitution “tells us clearly: The Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other”.
China has reportedly set a goal of being capable of militarily taking over Taiwan by 2027, a timeframe that will fall in Lai’s first term. In the past, Beijing has used other means to try to pressure Taiwan into accepting annexation, including economic coercion, diplomatic isolation, cognitive warfare, and military greyzone activity by its air force, Navy and Coast Guard. All these actions are expected to continue.
Lai’s speech affirmed the administration’s plans to build up its defensive and deterrence measures, warning his people not to “harbour any delusions” about China.
“So long as China refuses to renounce the use of force against Taiwan, all of us in Taiwan ought to understand, that even if we accept the entirety of China’s position and give up our sovereignty, China’s ambition to annex Taiwan will not simply disappear,” he said.