Taiwan President: Impossible For China To Be Our Motherland As We’re Older

It is “absolutely impossible” for Communist China to become Taiwan’s motherland because the island’s government predates the CCP, Taiwan’s president stated in a speech that underscores the historical rivalry between the two, Nectar Gan and Eric Cheung reported for CNN.

Lai Ching-te, who took office in May, has consistently faced Beijing’s ire for championing Taiwan’s sovereignty and rejecting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s claims over the island. I Photo: 賴清德Lai Ching-te X

Lai Ching-te, who took office in May, has consistently faced Beijing’s ire for championing Taiwan’s sovereignty and rejecting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s claims over the island.

Despite never having controlled Taiwan, China’s ruling Communist Party has vowed to “reunify” with the self-governing democracy, using force if necessary. However, many people on the island identify as distinctly Taiwanese and have no desire to become part of the People’s Republic of China.

On Saturday, in a statement likely to provoke further anger from Beijing, Lai referenced history to emphasize Taiwan's position as a “sovereign and independent country” known as the Republic of China (ROC).

This government ruled mainland China for decades before relocating to Taiwan when the CCP came to power.

The ROC was founded in 1912 after a Nationalist revolution overthrew China’s last imperial dynasty, the Qing. At that time, Taiwan was a Japanese colony, ceded by the Qing dynasty in 1895 after losing a war to Imperial Japan.

The ROC took control of Taiwan in 1945 following Japan’s defeat in World War II. Four years later, the ROC fled to the island after losing a civil war against Mao Zedong’s Communist forces.