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China’s Communist Party
ChinaPolitics

Beijing accuses Taiwan’s William Lai of inciting cross-strait confrontation in speech

People’s Daily says Lai’s address to Rotary International branch was full of historical fallacies and errors

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Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te’s speech to Rotarians on Sunday prompted condemnation from Beijing. Photo: Chen Lin/Taiwan’s Office of the President
William Zheng
Beijing has lashed out at Taiwan’s leader for calling the island a country during a speech that the mainland said contained “fabricated fallacies”.
In a commentary on Tuesday, People’s Daily, a mouthpiece of mainland China’s ruling Communist Party, said William Lai Ching-te’s speech to a Taiwanese branch of Rotary International on Sunday was “full of various factual errors and historical fallacies” and was highly provocative and harmful.

“It was a ‘Taiwan independence’ declaration that blatantly incited cross-strait confrontation, and a hodgepodge of ‘Taiwan independence’ fallacies and heresies full of errors and omissions,” it said.

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“It once again showed Lai Ching-te’s ignorance and madness, and once again exposed his stubborn ‘Taiwan independence’ nature and ugly face, confirming that he is a troublemaker, danger-maker and war-maker.

“No matter how much a fallacy is polished, it is still a fallacy; no matter how much a lie is beautified, it is still a lie.”

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During his speech on Sunday – the first of 10 in a series called “Uniting the country” – Lai said Taiwan was “of course” a country.

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