Illustration: Xia Qing/GT

On Tuesday evening, Lai Ching-te gave the second of his planned "10 talks on unity" series of speeches, continuing to hype his painstakingly crafted narrative of "Taiwan independence" under the theme of the so-called "unity." The so-called "unity" he spoke of is not only a provocation to the reality across the Taiwan Straits, but also a thorough historical fabrication, legal distortion and political deception.

In this speech, Lai once again repeated his tricks of distorting historical facts and subverting understanding, advocating for a so-called "Taiwan identity" and calling on people to "unite" against "united front infiltration." In an attempt to prove that "Taiwan has never been a part of China since ancient times," he also put forward the absurd narrative that "every ethnic group can build a country together." According to Lai's logic, hundreds or even thousands of places of human origins across the world could each become their own country. This is not about "protecting Taiwan" as he claims, but rather a dangerous plot to deliberately undermine the seriousness of historical science and incite ethnic confrontation.

Moreover, Lai slandered the Chinese mainland as an "external threat," and claimed that "the Taiwan Straits issue is not just Taiwan's problem, but an issue for the international community." This reveals that the so-called "10 talks on unity" are actually a "declaration of separatism," completely disregarding the mainstream public opinion on the island that seeks peace, stability and development. In the past, both sides of the Taiwan Straits once enjoyed the dividends of peace. The Straits were once a sea of peace, but now, under Lai's "Taiwan independence" agitation and provocation, have been pushed into the abyss of risk. Such a destruction of peace and threat to compatriots expose Lai's true identity as a "war-maker." His loud proclamations of "protecting Taiwan and resisting the Communist Party of China" are in fact attempts to "pursue independence through war," while his talk of "solidarity for democracy" is in reality an upgraded version of "green terror."

The "10 talks on unity" contain no intention to transcend or reconcile divisions; they are simply a performative political tool, filled with political calculations and schemes, for Lai to defeat opposition parties and provoke the mainland. Lai claims that "80 percent of public opinion supports the "four commitments" in an attempt to hijack public opinion on the island and use it as a moral justification for his "independence" agenda. He promotes the idea of "defending democracy against all odds," but in reality, he uses the pretense of elections to suppress the opposition parties, squeeze the space for democracy and create societal divisions. He mistakenly thought that he can conceal the truth of his incompetent governance and poor performance as long as his rhetoric is dense enough and his packaging novel enough. 

Under Lai's manipulation, Taiwan people's livelihood has been seriously jeopardized. Lai is accustomed to bragging about Taiwan's economy, even though the imbalance of economic development on the island is in fact becoming more and more prominent. The "unique success" of the semiconductor industry cannot cover up the sense of deprivation and vulnerability of traditional industries, small- and medium-sized industries and lower-middle class residents. The US has mercilessly imposed a high tariff of 32 percent on Taiwan. But Lai authorities have been servile and fawning on the US, and the overall interests of Taiwan society have been sold out. Faced with the maximum pressure and unilateral profit-seeking of the US administration, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have made concessions and given away bargaining chips on their own. The people on the island have long complained about the DPP authorities. The more arrogant and rampant Lai is, the more he shows his weakness and hypocrisy.

The history of the Chinese nation can never be cut, and the sacred territory of China will never be allowed to be divided. Whether from the perspective of anthropology, history or legal principles, and whether from the perspective of people or territory, Taiwan has been an integral part of the historical development of the Chinese nation since ancient times. The Cairo Declaration in 1943 and the Potsdam Declaration in 1945 declared the nature of Japan's occupation of Taiwan as "stolen," clarifying the illegal nature of Japan's 50-year rule in Taiwan. From the volunteer army's resistance to the Japanese occupation to the recovery of Taiwan in 1945, Taiwan's history has always been linked to the fate of the Chinese nation, and Taiwan has always been an inseparable part of China's territory.

Lai is challenging and even trampling on the bottom line of cross-Straits relations step by step. Behind his so-called "national discourse" is a thorough denial of the one-China principle, a deliberate tampering with the historical memory of the Chinese nation and a fundamental destruction of the peaceful and stable status quo across the Taiwan Straits. For his own selfish interests, he recklessly manipulates ethnic identity, desecrates national sentiments and distorts international law, walking on a path of political self-destruction. Challenging the bottom line of history is destined to face reality's backlash; defying the greater cause of the nation will ultimately lead to political demise.

The Taiwan society's anxiety over cross-Straits relations continues to grow. Lai's performance of advocating division under the guise of so-called unity is destined to go against the trend and history. The reunification of the motherland is inevitable. That is the unshakable will of 1.4 billion people and an essential path toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Any "Taiwan independence" separatist forces will ultimately be crushed by the wheels of history.