Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te vows to "defend the values of freedom and democracy" as China conducts military drills around the island days after his inauguration. Democratic Taiwan is accustomed to frequent threats from China, which claims the island as part of its territory. Beijing has said it will never renounce the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, and has in recent years upped the rhetoric of "unification" being "inevitable".
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 As the commander of the three armies,
00:03 my responsibility is to protect my country,
00:08 safeguard the safety of all citizens' lives and property.
00:14 I will stand at the front line with my brothers and sisters
00:20 to safeguard national security.
00:24 At this moment,
00:26 the international community is paying close attention to democracy in Taiwan.
00:32 Facing external challenges and threats,
00:36 we will continue to defend the values of freedom and democracy,
00:42 safeguard regional peace and stability.
00:47 I have confidence in the National Army.
00:51 I thank all of my brothers and sisters for their service.
00:56 [BLANK_AUDIO]