President Lai Ching-te said Saturday at a National Day event that Taiwan is a sovereign country that should be loved by its people, and he urged them to protect its freedoms and democracy.
“We are a sovereign country and we should love our country at all times,” Lai said, at a celebration at Taipei Dome, ahead of the 113th National Day of the Republic of China (Taiwan) on Oct. 10.
The people of Taiwan should learn from the spirit and sacrifices of their forefathers and the martyrs and unite to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty and protect its democracy, freedom and human rights, otherwise those sacrifices would be in vain, he said.
Lai said that while the ROC is about to turn 113 years, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) just reached 75 years on Oct. 1.
“Based on its age, the PRC is not the motherland of people of the ROC,” he said. “The ROC, on the other hand, is the motherland of the people in the PRC who are 75 years old and over.”
“So, if anyone in Taiwan wants to say happy birthday to the PRC, please do not call it the motherland,” Lai said in an apparent reference to some Taiwanese singers and actors who recently said happy birthday to the “motherland,” in what was seen as bid to advance their careers in the China market.
Lai expressed gratitude to the people of Taiwan for their constant devotion to building a better society.
The president thanked Cho, along with Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu, who heads the National Day celebrations committee, and Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an for their efforts to organize the 2024 National Day celebrations.
The main event will be an official ceremony on Oct. 10 in front of the Presidential Office, where Lai will deliver his first National Day address as president.
