New Taipei: President Lai Ching-te on Sunday reaffirmed the Republic of China's (Taiwan) sovereignty while refuting the People's Republic of China's (PRC) claim over the country, in his first of a total of ten scheduled speeches set to be delivered in the following weeks. In his speech at a Rotary International regional meeting, Lai emphasized that a sovereign state is typically defined by four key characteristics: a permanent population, a defined territory, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states.

According to Focus Taiwan, Taiwan meets all these criteria despite not being a member of the United Nations. President Lai reiterated Taiwan's long-held stance that, as a sovereign state, it is not subordinate to the PRC, which consistently claims otherwise. Lai highlighted that the PRC has used United Nations Resolution 2758 to assert its sovereignty over Taiwan, although the resolution does not mention Taiwan and solely addresses China's representation in the U.N. and the removal of Chiang Kai-shek's representatives.

The president further mentioned that the United States and many like-minded countries have criticized the PRC for misusing the U.N. resolution in its claims over Taiwan. Resolution 2758, adopted by the 26th U.N. General Assembly in 1971, resulted in the ROC, Taiwan's official name, losing its U.N. seat to the PRC. Consequently, Taiwan has been excluded from the U.N. and is not recognized by most of its member states as a country.

Lai also refuted Beijing's historical claims of sovereignty over Taiwan, noting the lack of historical records of official interactions between the island and China before the late 17th century. He stated that Taiwan has a rich history and is considered the origin of the Austronesian language family and peoples. He asserted that the PRC has never exercised sovereignty over Taiwan or its outlying islands.

The president concluded his speech by affirming Taiwan's status as an independent country, regardless of its chosen name. Lai's initial speech focused on "the nation," with subsequent talks set to address unity, Taiwan's constitutional system, diplomacy, national defense, cross-Taiwan Strait relations, democracy, peace, prosperity, and equal development.

According to Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo, the series of ten speeches aims to unite the country in response to the "volatile geopolitical situation and threats from authoritarian regimes." However, opposition leader Eric Chu of the Kuomintang criticized the president for focusing on speeches rather than addressing tangible issues faced by the people. Chu warned that the mass recall movement targeting opposition lawmakers could set a dangerous precedent and was not conducive to national unity.