Taiwan welcomed 2026 with fireworks at Taipei 101, a sunrise flag-raising ceremony at the Presidential Office and President Lai’s New Year’s Day speech.
“There is no place Taiwanese people cannot reach and no achievement we cannot attain,” Lai said in his morning remarks.
But he had warnings, too, after China ended its “Justice Mission 2025” military drills around Taiwan on Wednesday night, and as Taiwan’s ruling and opposition parties remain locked in a stalemate over issues including defense spending.
00:23Taiwan President Lai Qingde had hopeful messages and pointed warnings for his country.
00:30Lai's annual New Year's Day speech comes just after China wrapped up
00:56massive military drills around Taiwan, which it claims as its territory and has vowed to take
01:02by force if necessary. Just hours before, on the other side of the Taiwan Strait,
01:08Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a New Year's speech of his own,
01:12making clear that China will never give up on its goal of taking Taiwan.
01:23Lai's speech also comes as Taiwan's opposition-led legislature repeatedly blocks a record-high
01:30special defense budget meant to prepare Taiwan for a Chinese attack,
01:34and as the country's politics become increasingly polarized.
01:41Lai urged lawmakers to pass the budget, saying the country needs to come together in prioritizing
01:47security, posing it as a matter of survival. Ending his speech, President Lai thanked Taiwan's armed
01:54forces, first responders, medical personnel, and the, quote, shovel heroes, volunteers who traveled
02:00to eastern Taiwan following deadly flooding to help with the cleanup there.
02:04No matter what kind of experience, we can all be able to achieve what kind of challenge we can all be able to achieve what kind of challenge we can all be able to achieve Taiwan's success.
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