On 10 October, during the National Day celebrations in Taipei, Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te stated that the island seeks peace, but will not relinquish its freedom nor accept «subjugation». According to him, increased defence spending is intended to deter war, not to serve as a provocation.
Briefly about the main points
- Lai Qingde stated that Taiwan would not accept «subordination».
- The President described strengthening defence as a means of deterring war.
- Taiwan recorded 21 Chinese military aircraft and seven ships over the past 24 hours.
- Lai called on the region’s democracies to maintain the peaceful status quo.
The right to determine one’s own future
In a speech at the 115th celebration of the National Day of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Lai Qingde He emphasised that the island’s inhabitants« right to exist must be respected. He said that the issue concerned not only Taiwan’s survival in the face of what the president described as »authoritarian expansion’, but also the people’s right to determine their own future.
Beijing believes that Taiwan part of the People’s Republic of China. The government in Taipei rejects this position. Lai also used the biblical allusion to the «city on a hill» in his address, stating that Taiwan must build such a future with courage and confidence.
Defence and dialogue on an equal footing
Lai stated that peace cannot be based solely on wishful thinking. According to him, Taiwan is strengthening its self-defence not to reject dialogue, but to ensure that it can take place on the basis of equality and dignity.
The President linked defence policy to the prevention of war. He also called on the democratic nations of the Indo-Pacific region to work together to maintain the status quo of peace and stability, and welcomed the dialogue between the US and China aimed at reducing the risk of conflict.
According to Taiwan’s Ministry of Defence, 21 Chinese military aircraft and seven naval vessels were detected near the island in the 24 hours leading up to 06:00 on 10 October. Thirteen aircraft crossed the median line of the strait and/or entered Taiwan’s air defence identification zone.
Previous large-scale manoeuvres took place under various circumstances
Following Lai’s National Day speech in 2024, China conducted the Joint Sword-2024B exercise four days later. Following the President’s address in 2025, no similar large-scale, multi-service manoeuvres were recorded, although regular activity by Chinese forces near the island continued.
The last major Chinese military exercises prior to this speech — Justice Mission 2025 — took place on 29–30 December 2025. They took place 11 days after the United States announced an $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan. The varied nature of Beijing’s previous reactions makes it difficult to predict its response to this speech.
