Taiwan’s leader calls on China to refrain from threats ahead of expected military drills
Associated PressTAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te called on China to “open its arms rather than raise its fists” as he wrapped up his first overseas tour since taking office in May. The president spoke a day after China’s Foreign Ministry announced sanctions on 13 American companies and six executives in response to recently announced U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan. To seek independence by soliciting foreign support is doomed to failure.” Lai played up the distinction between authoritarian governments and democracies such as Taiwan and the U.S., noting Russia’s military cooperation with both China and North Korea, including the dispatch of North Korean troops to Russia for the war against Ukraine. Lai also said that China must stop using threats and inducements to try to persuade other countries to switch diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China, after Paraguay kicked out a visiting Chinese diplomat this week.