Asia-Pacific
Taiwan: “We love peace but will not give up our freedom,” Lai says on National Day, with a warning over China’s pressure
In his National Day address on October 10, 2026, Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te said Taiwan cherishes peace but will not give up its freedom, accused China of military and gray-zone pressure to change the status quo, and defended Taiwan’s defence reform as a way to deter war.
“Taiwan cherishes peace, but we will not give up our freedom. We are open to exchanges, but will not accept subordination.” With those words Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te described Taipei’s stance towards Beijing in his National Day address on Saturday, October 10, delivered in front of the Presidential Office Building.
According to the full English text of the speech, as provided by the Presidential Office and published by Focus Taiwan (the English-language service of Taiwan’s Central News Agency), Lai said that “China continues to apply pressure through military and gray-zone activities in an attempt to alter the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.” The address was titled “Taiwan’s Future: A City upon a Hill, the Salt and Light of the World.” He said Taiwan’s resolve concerns “whether the international community still believes that force cannot override rules, and that the powerful cannot strip a people of their right to determine their own future.”
Defence to deter war
The president spoke of the reform of the armed forces, the development of asymmetric capabilities and the domestic defence industry, as well as the resilience of the whole of society against crises and natural disasters. He argued that Taiwan’s defence spending is not meant to provoke but to deter war: “And we are strengthening our self-defense not to abandon dialogue, but to ensure that dialogue can take place on the basis of parity and dignity.”
Lai said Taiwan would turn its strengths in semiconductors, information and communications technology and precision manufacturing “into the power to protect our nation.” He likened Taiwan to salt: “Taiwan may be small, but we stand guard over freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, preserving these cherished universal values against authoritarian erosion.”
Lai welcomed the United States and China managing their competition through dialogue and said Taiwan would contribute to regional stability. He insisted, however, that “there must be no tolerance for distorting the history of World War II” and that there “must be respect for the right of the people of Taiwan to exist.” He called on the democracies of the Indo-Pacific to join forces “to ensure the status quo of peace and stability in the region is not changed.” Washington remains the island’s main arms supplier, and in early October the first two F-16V Block 70 fighters arrived in Taiwan after years of delay. It is the most modern version of the F-16.
The economy and Taiwan’s international presence
A large part of the speech was devoted to the economy. Lai said Taiwan’s economy grew by 14.15% in the first half of the year, mainly thanks to demand for semiconductors and artificial-intelligence equipment, and that growth for the whole of 2026 could exceed 11%, which he described as a 39-year high.
The celebrations were attended by the King of Eswatini, Mswati III, who is making his 20th visit to Taiwan according to Taiwan News, and by a delegation of Japanese lawmakers led by Furuya Keiji, chairman of the Japan-Taiwan Diet Members’ Consultative Council. Eswatini is the only country in Africa that maintains diplomatic relations with Taipei.