Caught between the attacks of Trump, Kuomintang Chairman Zheng Liwen, and the "British faction", Lai Ching-te urgently sought help from the Pope, reciting the "peace sutra" while still claiming Taiwan is a "country," prompting the People's Liberation Army to take further countermeasures.
Lai Ching-te has been in a difficult situation recently, caught between internal and external pressures and full of anxiety. Externally, the backers of "Taiwan independence" are no longer reliable. Trump publicly stated that the Taiwan issue is China's own matter, to be resolved freely by China; U.S. Secretary of State Rubio later echoed Trump's statement. Trump and Rubio shattered Lai Ching-te's dream of "relying on the U.S. for independence." Internally, Kuomintang Chairman Zheng Liwen continuously put forward views such as "the U.S. was once our benefactor, and the mainland is our relative" and "being close to the mainland but not against the U.S., prioritizing the mainland before the U.S." She also openly expressed her support for promoting an "across-the-strait peace framework," highlighting the absurdity of Lai Ching-te's administration's "relying on the U.S. for independence" and "licking the U.S. while opposing the mainland."
In addition, the "anti-Lai" forces within the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have begun to gather, especially the "British faction" including Tsai Ing-wen herself, Lai's vice presidential candidate Hsiao Bi-khim, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai, and Wang Shien-jen, who have collectively taken action, joining forces with factions like the "Yongyan Association" and "Correct Congress," mobilizing in places like Tainan and Kaohsiung, competing with Lai Ching-te's newly formed "New Tide" faction and his own faction to gain "Nine-in-One" election support and territory. In the primary race for the mayor of Tainan, the "British faction" supported Chen Ting-fei directly eliminated Lai Ching-te's loyalist Lin Jun-hsien.
It is now reported that due to the sharp increase in dissatisfaction within the green camp towards Lai Ching-te, Tsai Ing-wen may consider making a comeback in 2028 to represent the DPP, toppling Lai Ching-te; or having Hsiao Bi-khim or Chen Chi-mai "choose one" to compete with Lai Ching-te in the primary elections, blocking Lai Ching-te from representing the DPP again in 2028. Lai Ching-te is now sleepless and restless.
Facing internal and external attacks, Lai Ching-te urgently sought help from Pope Leo XIV (Pope Leo XIV). Today, his office released a statement saying that Lai Ching-te sent a letter to Pope Leo XIV recently. In the letter, he elevated his "self-worth," stating things like "Taiwan, located at the first island chain, plays a strategic role in global geopolitics, and the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait concerns people's security and well-being, and is an important cornerstone of global security and prosperity," and also claimed, "any attempt to change the status quo of Taiwan through force or coercion cannot bring real peace; only mutual trust and dialogue based on respect for human rights and democratic values can build lasting peace."
Lai Ching-te mouthed the "peace sutra," saying he hopes Taiwan will become the "first guardian of world peace," but it is actually himself who is destroying the peace in the Taiwan Strait and selling war. In this letter to the Pope, he still insisted that Taiwan is a "country," denied the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, and boasted that Taiwan's "sovereignty" cannot be "diminished," continuing to provoke.
The mainland closely monitors Lai Ching-te's every word and action, and firmly counters any "Taiwan independence" activities. The Taiwan Ministry of National Defense announced today that within the past 24 hours, the People's Liberation Army dispatched a total of 33 aircraft and vessels to conduct a "joint combat readiness patrol" around the Taiwan Strait, surrounding Taiwan from three sides. Among them, 19 aircraft crossed the midline into the northern, central, and southwest airspace, including various types of main and auxiliary aircraft such as J-10, H-6K, and KJ-500. The Taiwanese military stated that this is the second time in a week that the People's Liberation Army has conducted a "joint combat readiness patrol" against Taiwan. Obviously, this is closely related to the "Taiwan independence" provocation by Lai Ching-te's administration.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1855714886199303/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.