TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Presidential candidate and current Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said he is not a golden child of Taiwan independence, and that Taiwan’s sovereignty does not belong to the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
Speaking to SETN in a TV interview laden with symbolic language and political references, Lai said that he rejects the “golden grandson of Taiwan independence” (台獨金孫) label used by opposition politicians to describe him, and said that there is no such thing per CNA. Lai’s interview is set to air on SETN on Tuesday evening (Aug. 8).
The golden grandson label is likely a reference to Lai’s top position in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), the political party that led calls for Taiwan’s independence after the country transitioned to democracy in the 1990s. Lai himself has also expressed pro-independence views in the past, adding to the perception that as a potential future president of Taiwan he will seek this goal.
Lai said there are only “political golden boys” in Taiwan, and no golden grandsons of Taiwan's independence. All in Taiwan are children of Taiwan’s democratic movement, he said, and added that many people have worked hard for the outcome.
When asked what he believes a “pragmatic independence worker” is, Lai said that to be pragmatic means to be based on fact. He said, in fact, the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China are not affiliated with one another, and Taiwan’s sovereignty does not belong to the PRC.
Using a reference to the differences in the Mandarin Chinese vocabulary between China and Taiwan, Lai said that when both sides speak about Taiwan's independence, they mean different things.
The term “Taiwan independence” means that Taiwanese people have the ownership right over this piece of land, Lai said. He said that the “worker” in “Taiwan independence worker” means someone who builds the country, develops the economy, and benefits the people.
Lai also said “worker” means someone who can protect Taiwan’s sovereignty and resist Chinese aggression, so that future generations can live and work in peace in Taiwan.
Lai said he believes the DPP is a party of peace, love, and non-violence. He said that all political parties in Taiwan, as well as the majority of Taiwanese people, want to be friends with China. “We can be friends,” he said.
“I also separate the Communist Party from the people,” Lai said. He said that Taiwan can first become closer with China, and befriend or become close to the Chinese people, but the belief in loving and protecting Taiwan will not change.
Taiwan’s presidential election is set for January 2024. Lai is currently leading in the polls, and is followed by the Taiwan People’s Party candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) in second place, and the Kuomintang’s Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) in third place.
