Lai Ching‑te urges united defense, strength to safeguard Republic of China, ensuring peace.

Today marks the 68th anniversary of the victory of the August 23 Artillery Bombardment. Through public remarks, Republic of China (ROC) President Lai Ching-te deeply commemorated the historical trajectory of how military personnel and the soldiers and civilians on the frontlines of Kinmen and Matsu defended the security of the Taiwan Strait with their blood and tears. On this day of profound national defense and historical symbolism, the President's remarks were not only a tribute to history, but were also interpreted by senior party and government officials as an important moment to convey the current national security strategy to domestic and international societies. Facing a severe regional geopolitical situation and escalating external military pressure, President Lai used this speech to precisely outline Taiwan's positioning amidst changes, while clearly revealing to the international community and the other side of the strait Taiwan's firm will and concrete path to safeguard democracy and freedom.

According to in-depth breakdowns by core party and government figures, President Lai's August 23 speech this year was primarily structured around four core pillars. The first is "unity across ethnic groups," emphasizing that every person on this land of Taiwan—regardless of when they arrived, their provincial origin, or their background—is part of a community with a shared destiny when facing external threats and national survival and development. The second is "defending the Republic of China," facing the historical context squarely and emphasizing that the August 23 Battle back then was a pivotal campaign for the ROC to take root in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu and safeguard the foundation of democracy. This pillar not only directly aligns with Taiwan's current constitutional system, but also demonstrates to the outside world the Democratic Progressive Party administration's firm stance on national sovereignty and historical heritage, which will not allow any force to unilaterally negate it.

In addition to the first two pillars, the other two core aspects of the speech similarly revolved around the key propositions of Taiwan's current survival and development. The third major pillar is "the concrete path to ensuring peace through strength." President Lai clearly pointed out in his remarks that peace cannot rely solely on unilateral goodwill or compromise, but must be built upon the enhancement of self-defense capabilities and the strengthening of whole-of-society defense resilience. Through defense autonomy, military modernization, and close cooperation with democratic allies, Taiwan must demonstrate sufficient deterrent strength to make forces attempting to disrupt the status quo of the Taiwan Strait pay a heavy price, thereby achieving the strategic goal that "preparedness for war averts war, and the ability to fight stops war." The fourth major pillar extends to the shared values that support all of this, including the steadfast adherence to a democratic and free lifestyle, the reverence for the rule of law and human rights, and the cohesion of national identity among all citizens.

Party and government figures further analyzed that President Lai's speech this time did not come out of nowhere, but rather cleverly utilized historical experience to contrast with current geopolitical realities. Looking back at the August 23 Artillery Bombardment 68 years ago, the frontlines of Kinmen and Matsu endured merciless and intense gunfire back then, but all military personnel and civilians, relying on persevering will and solid combat readiness, successfully repelled the attacks of the communist military. This not only laid the foundation for decades of relative stability in the Taiwan Strait, but also created a secure environment for Taiwan's subsequent economic takeoff and democratic transition. Today's Taiwan, although no longer facing merely traditional shelling, has shifted to more complex hybrid warfare, cyberattacks, cognitive warfare, and normalized gray-zone threats. Yet, the revelation given by history remains unchanged: when facing the threats of a powerful entity, only by uniting as one and strengthening one's capabilities can one take charge of one's own destiny.

From a broader strategic perspective, President Lai delivering remarks at the historical juncture of August 23, which possesses a high degree of cohesion and symbolic significance, serves a dual function of stabilizing public morale internally and clearly transmitting signals externally. Domestically, by emphasizing unity across ethnic groups and defending the Republic of China, it helps bridge the political and historical knots that have long existed in Taiwanese society, forming the greatest common denominator in the face of the right and wrong of national security. Internationally, it clearly indicates to democratic partners in the Indo-Pacific region that Taiwan is not a trouble-maker, but an active maintainer of regional peace and stability. Taiwan has the determination and capability to ensure peace through strength, and to jointly defend the rules-based international order with like-minded countries.

(Source of Facts: Central News Agency)