Why Taiwan's Lai Ching-te was silent on cross-strait relations

South China Morning Post

29-05-2025

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Many had watched to see if Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te would clarify his cross-strait policy in his
speech last week marking his first anniversary in office. Yet in his remarks – his most internationally scrutinised speech to date – he made no mention of it.
Some may see this as flexible de-escalation or a goodwill gesture. But in fact, Lai had little choice: constrained by US policy uncertainty and limited leverage over Beijing, he had to resort to evasion and strategic self-censorship.
Seen as a
proponent of Taiwanese independence, Lai has asserted the two sides are '
not subordinate to each other '. His administration has also tightened controls on cross-strait exchanges, from banning academic ties to regulating mainland Chinese spouses and drafting regulatory mechanisms to oversee Taiwanese residents in mainland China. These actions have raised concerns about the systematic dismantling of regular social and interpersonal ties across the Strait.
Though Lai pushes rhetorical boundaries, his diplomatic doctrine remains simple. He has relinquished Taiwan's ability to manage cross-strait relations and instead pinned all hopes on a harder-line US posture towards Beijing. Yet such a strategy does not always guarantee returns.