China’s authoritarian expansionism would not stop with Taiwan: President William Lai calls for solidarity among the world’s democracies to check Beijing’s territorial ambitions

Taiwan is determined to become a decisive force for democracy, peace and prosperity, standing side-by-side with its democratic partners to confront authoritarian expansionism and protect shared values, Lai told the annual Ketagalan Forum on Indo-Pacific security in Taipei.

Authoritarianism is now a global challenge, Lai said, using as examples Chinese military expansionism, economic coercion and the use of hybrid warfare tactics such as cyberattacks and cognitive warfare.

“We are all fully aware that China’s growing authoritarianism will not stop with Taiwan, nor is Taiwan the only target of China’s economic pressures,” he said. “China intends to change the rules-based international order. That is why democratic countries must come together and take concrete action.”