China views the “annexation” and “elimination” of Taiwan as its great national cause, Taiwan’s President William Lai Ching-te said, telling cadets at the military’s premier academy they must know their enemy and not give in to defeatism.
Lai has faced sustained personal attacks from China, which views Taiwan as its own territory. Since assuming office last month, Beijing has branded him as a “separatist”. China also deployed aircraft in Taiwan’s airspace and staged a major military drill around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration.
