By Saadet Gokce
ISTANBUL (AA) - Taiwanese regional leader William Lai Ching-te has said Taipei will conduct exchanges and cooperate with Beijing "as long as China treats Taiwan with parity and dignity."
In an interview with Nikkei Asia, Lai emphasized “cross-strait peace and mutual prosperity,” while warning of the need for deterrence. “Taiwan must demonstrate the strength of deterrence to prevent China from making the wrong judgment,” he said.
Beijing considers Lai a separatist and has vowed to unify Taiwan with the mainland, while Taipei has asserted its de facto independence since 1949.
On relations with Japan, Lai urged Tokyo to pursue a bilateral trade deal with Taipei and support Taiwan’s bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Lai also voiced interest in building “global semiconductor supply chain partnerships for democracies,” citing the technological strengths of several countries.
"Japan has materials, equipment, and technology; the US has IC design and marketing; Taiwan has production and manufacturing; and the Netherlands excels in equipment," he added.
The regional leader described the US tariffs imposed on the island as a "major challenge," given the island’s export-heavy economy.
"We aim to start negotiations with the proposal of zero tariffs and seek to establish a bilateral trade agreement with the US," Lai said.
The US imposed a 32% tariff on imports from Taiwan on April 2. It later paused the tariff for 90 days while retaining a 10% base tariff.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian on Monday stated that Taiwan "is an inalienable part of China’s territory" and that there is "but one China in the world."
Beijing's reaction came following Lai's May 9 statement commemorating the Allied victory in World War II—the first time Taiwan formally observed the occasion.
"Although the two sides across the Taiwan Strait have yet to be reunified, the fact that the Chinese mainland and Taiwan belong to one and the same China and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China has never and will not be changed. This is the true status quo in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan is never a country, not in the past, and never in the future," said Lin.
Separately, Taiwan conducted its first-ever live-fire test of the Land Sword II missile system, the Defense Ministry announced Tuesday on X.
"This surface-to-air missile system is capable of countering diverse aerial threats and significantly enhances force protection," the announcement said.
Taiwan's military is scheduled to receive a second group of 42 M1A2T tanks by the second quarter of 2025, and another 28 by the first quarter of 2026 from the US, reported the state-run Focus Taiwan, citing the ministry.
The Taiwanese military also conducted the first-ever live-fire test of the US-made rocket system M142 HIMARS during a military exercise on Monday.