Four charges awaiting Lai Ching‑te

Taiwan's return to the embrace of the motherland is an irreversible trend that no force can stop and China's growing national strength is the ultimate guarantee for resolving the Taiwan question. In view of this, Lai Ching-te, the current leader of the Taiwan region, will have his day of reckoning. Essentially, he will be held accountable on four charges come that day.

Undermining the political ecosystem and harming people's wellbeing

Lai talks a lot about "democracy." However, what he really wants is the dominance of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the pursuit of his separatist agenda through "green monopoly" (green is the party color of DPP).

Since taking office, Lai has made "administrative resources" his tools to eliminate those who disagree. He views the Kuomintang (KMT), the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), and other parties that perform normal supervisory functions as enemies to be destroyed. By weaponizing judicial and investigative agencies, he ordered raids on other political parties' offices, the harassment of their representatives, and even the prosecution of Ko Wen-je, the former chairman of the TPP.

The public in the island widely believe that "democracy" is backsliding, justice no longer exists, and freedom is in danger.

On livelihood-related issues, Lai has acted irresponsibly. He has only put on political stunts without taking concrete actions. When natural disasters hit Tainan and Hualien, his relief efforts were all show with no tangible actions. On his watch, Taiwan has undergone food safety crises involving toxic eggs and African swine fever, yet the authorities have no solution to offer. Besides, Lai shifted blames for anything that goes awry: from bad energy policies, to low wages for youth, rampant telecom fraud, etc.

Worse still, he has coerced Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) into transferring its advanced chip manufacturing to the United States. This has turned "Taiwan's chips" into "America's chips" and hollowed out the region's most important industry.

Data speak for themselves. Even pro-DPP polling organizations have to admit the facts. The "Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation" reports that over half of the public disapproves of Lai, calling the last five months his "most objectionable moment." Another poll shows 80 percent of netizens consider him the "most disappointing leader." Even in the deep-green strongholds of southern Taiwan, dissatisfaction rate has soared to 44 percent.

Damaging cross‑Strait relations by acting recklessly "on the edge of a cliff"

On the critical issue of cross-Strait relations, Lai is blocking all paths to peace.

Looking back at the eight years when Ma Ying-jeou was the regional leader, both sides of the Taiwan Strait adhered to the 1992 Consensus and the situation across the Strait was calm. Direct flights, mail, and trade flourished, a steady stream of mainland tourists visited Taiwan, and Taiwan's farmers sold their goods to the mainland effortlessly. The historic meeting between President Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou in Singapore proved that the Chinese people have every confidence and the wisdom to handle their own affairs.

Lai has destroyed this trust. He openly peddles the "new two-state theory," claiming the two sides are "mutually non-subordinate." He labels the mainland a "hostile foreign force" and has rolled out aggressive "strategies" to counter it.

He relies on fear-mongering, constantly hyping the threat of a "2027 invasion" to justify his "Green Terror." He overstretches fiscal resources to buy overpriced, outdated weapons from the U.S. and is even mobilizing high school students for war preparations, turning schools into training grounds.

To push for "decoupling" from the mainland, he labels normal exchanges as "infiltration." He bans mainland apps like Xiaohongshu or Little Red Book, and threatens entertainers and business people who work in the mainland.

Colluding with external forces and creating regional tension

Lai is not only a "tyrant" in the region but also a pawn for foreign powers. He tries to "internationalize" the Taiwan question by "inviting wolves into the house".

He eagerly links Taiwan with the Ukraine crisis, hoping to pull Western countries into the Taiwan question. Lai continues the failed strategy of "dollar diplomacy." He spends taxpayers' money to invite washed-up Western politicians like Mike Pompeo and Boris Johnson to visit Taiwan and treats these political figures as "honored guests" just to generate fake support.

His attitude toward Japan is shameful. Japan colonized Taiwan for 50 years and killed countless people. Yet, when Japanese politicians made aggressive statements about Taiwan, Lai did not protest. Instead, he has fawned over them, even performed stunts like eating sushi to show "loyalty." He is ready to sell out Taiwan people's dignity and anything he can get his hands on, so long as it serves his separatist agenda.

Most dangerously, Lai celebrates U.S. arms sales. When the U.S. approved an over $11 billion arms package, Lai expressed "gratitude," claiming it showed a "rock-solid commitment." What he does is paying protection money to a hegemon and pushing Taiwan toward an abyss of disaster.

He even claimed that mainland military drills around Taiwan show "its lack of strength," and that so long as Taiwan raises the costs of a military attack, "the attack will never happen." Many Taiwan netizens dismissed such comments as reckless and ignorant.

Undermining international order and disregarding international law

Taiwan's return to China at the end of World War II was no historical coincidence. It was an integral part of the victory achieved by the Chinese people through immense sacrifice during the global fight against fascism. It is an indisputable fact confirmed by international legal documents like the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation, and the Japanese Instrument of Surrender.

Documents like these clearly state, as part of the post-war international order they help define, that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. It is a non-negotiable red line for China and a prevailing consensus of the international community.

UNGA Resolution 2758 resolved, politically, legally and procedurally, the issue of the representation of the whole of China, including Taiwan, at the UN, confirming that there is only one China and Taiwan is part of it. By distorting this resolution, Lai Ching-te has attempted to deny the outcomes of WWII and to fabricate a legal basis for "Taiwan independence." This poses a direct challenge to the UN Charter and the international legal system.

Stability across the Taiwan Strait is crucial for the Asia-Pacific region. Lai's provocations threaten to undermine it. Crossing the red line of the one-China principle could trigger a conflict that risks dragging major powers into confrontation and leading to disasters for humanity.

The world is clear-eyed about this. Over 180 countries recognize the one-China principle, and the UN and the great majority of international organizations have no official ties with Taiwan. Lai's arguments are self-deceptive. Even in the U.S., more people have come to realize that Lai's radicalism could drag America into an unbearable conflict.

Apparently, Lai has chosen to betray his ancestors and sever his national roots. He will stand accused of at least the above four major crimes by following this sinister path. History will not let any evildoer go unpunished. Let's wait and see.

(The author is a commentator on international affairs, writing regularly for Xinhua News, Global Times, China Daily, CGTN etc.)