[4] He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. [8] I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. [10] Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the isles, and the inhabitants thereof.Isaiah 42 : 4, 8, 10
Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee
Tue, May 20, 2025 at 5:00 AM GMT+33 min read
By Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee
Strengthen the island’s defences
TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan wants peace and dialogue with China but the government must continue to strengthen the island’s defences, President Lai Ching-te said on Tuesday as he completed one year in office.
China calls Lai a “separatist” and has rebuffed his multiple offers for talks. Lai rejects China’s sovereignty claims over the democratic and separately governed island, saying only Taiwan’s people can decide their future.
For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes:Acts 24 : 5
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The government has warned that Beijing could mark the anniversary with military drills but speaking to reporters at the presidential office in central Taipei, Lai offered a message of peace.
“I, too, am committed to peace. Because peace is priceless and war has no winners. But when it comes to seeking peace, we cannot have dreams nor illusions,” he said.
Taiwan will continue to strengthen its defences as preparing for war is the best way to avoid it, Lai added.
“I also reiterate here – Taiwan is happy to have exchanges and cooperation with China as long as there is reciprocal dignity. Using exchanges to replace hemming in, dialogue to replace confrontation.”
.” If we will consent to lay down our arms, to lower the blood-stained banner, to become the captives and servants of Satan, we may be released from the conflict and the suffering. But this peace will be gained only at the loss of Christ and heaven. We cannot accept peace on such conditions. Let it be war, war, to the end of earth’s history, rather than peace through apostasy and sin. RH May 8, 1888, par. 9
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China’s Taiwan Affairs Office on Tuesday called Lai’s speech a “two-faced tactic” that’s a “waste of effort and doomed to fail.”
The work of apostasy begins in some secret rebellion of the heart against the requirements of God’s law. Unholy desires, unlawful ambitions, are cherished and indulged, and unbelief and darkness separate the soul from God. If we do not overcome these evils, they will overcome us. Men who have long been advancing in the path of truth, will be tested with trial and temptation. Those who listen to the suggestions of Satan, and swerve from their integrity, begin the downward path, and some masterful temptation hastens them on in the way of apostasy, till their descent is marked and rapid. Sins that were once most repugnant, become attractive, and are welcomed and practiced by those who have cast off the fear of God and their allegiance to his law. But the most pleasurable beginning in transgression, will end in misery, degradation, and ruin. RH May 8, 1888, par. 10
“No matter what the leaders of the Taiwan region say or how they say it, it cannot change the fact that Taiwan is a part of China … nor can it stop the inevitable trend of national reunification,” the office’s spokesperson Chen Binhua said in a statement.
China’s defence ministry last week said Lai was a “Taiwan Strait crisis maker” who had increased antagonism and confrontation and undermined peace and stability.
And then the great deceiver will persuade men that those who serve God are causing these evils. The class that have provoked the displeasure of Heaven will charge all their troubles upon those whose obedience to God’s commandments is a perpetual reproof to transgressors. It will be declared that men are offending God by the violation of the Sunday-sabbath, that this sin has brought calamities which will not cease until Sunday observance shall be strictly enforced, and that those who present the claims of the fourth commandment, thus destroying reverence for Sunday, are troublers of the people, preventing their restoration to divine favor and temporal prosperity. Thus the accusation urged of old against the servant of God will be repeated, and upon grounds equally well established. “And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.” [1 Kings 18:17, 18.] As the wrath of the people shall be excited by false charges, they will pursue a course toward God’s ambassadors very similar to that which apostate Israel pursued toward Elijah. GC88 589.3 – GC88 590.1
Lai also faces a challenge from possible U.S. tariffs, currently on pause, and said talks with Washington were continuing “smoothly”.
Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.Habakkuk 1 : 4
The government also plans to establish a sovereign wealth fund to boost the tech-focused economy, he added.
“The government will set up a sovereign fund to create a national investment platform, making full use of Taiwan’s industrial strengths, led by the government, in collaboration with the strengths of private enterprises,” Lai said, without giving details.
After finishing his media event, Lai attended the opening ceremony for the ongoing Computex trade show, where Taiwan-born Jensen Huang, the CEO of AI darling Nvidia, is the star attraction.
Lai visited the booths of Nvidia suppliers and partners, including Foxconn and Mediatek, chatting with senior executives there.
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Last month, China held war games code-named “Strait Thunder-2025A” around Taiwan, the “A” at its end suggesting there could be more to come.
China called its May 2024 drills just after Lai took office “Joint Sword-2024A“, and in October of that year staged “Joint Sword-2024B”.
In a daily report detailing Chinese military activities, Taiwan’s defence ministry said in the past 24 hours it had detected six Chinese planes and 11 vessels near the island.
(Reporting by Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Jacqueline Wong, Saad Sayeed, Kate Mayberry and Conor Humphries)
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