China says Taiwan president spreading 'heresy' with sovereignty speech

China criticized Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te after he stated that Taiwan is “of course” a country, supported by historical and legal evidence. Beijing insists Taiwan is a sacred part of China, claiming it has never been an independent state. Lai and his administration reject this stance and have proposed talks with China, which have been ignored.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office accused Lai of distorting history to promote Taiwan independence and labeled him a separatist. They stated, “It was a 'Taiwan independence' declaration that blatantly incited cross-strait confrontation.”

Lai maintains that the future of Taiwan should be determined by its people, as China has never governed the island. This was first of his upcoming 10 scheduled speeches