Taiwan's Leader Defends Independence Amid China's Threats

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te declared that China has no authority to impose sanctions or infringe upon the rights of Taiwanese people. He emphasized the necessity for China to engage with Taiwan's legitimate government and warned that failure to do so would worsen bilateral relations.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Monday that China has no right to sanction Taiwan's people or go after their rights, after China threatened to impose the death penalty in extreme cases for "diehard" Taiwan independence separatists.

China should talk to Taiwan's legitimately elected government and recognise its existence, and if it does not then relations will only drift further apart, he told reporters at the presidential office in Taipei.