President Lai Ching-te's comments that China cannot be Taiwan's motherland are proving controversial, with opposition lawmakers calling his words needlessly provocative.
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00:00President Lai Ching-de hasn't been in the job for six months yet, but he's definitely
00:05not shying away from challenging China's view of Taiwan, particularly the notion that it's
00:11been part of China since ancient times.
00:14His latest comments to spark controversy came during a speech at a concert marking Taiwan's
00:21National Day.
00:22He said that the Republic of China, or ROC, Taiwan's official name, is older than Communist
00:29China.
00:53Such comments have been criticized by opposition lawmakers, who say they're provocative to
00:58China, which sees Taiwan as its territory and could one day invade.
01:05But lawmakers from Lai's ruling party have defended him, saying he's simply using basic
01:11facts and logic to prove that the Republic of China, Taiwan, is separate from Beijing.
01:18Ryan Wu and Louise Watt for Taiwan Plus.