Politics

Analysis: Partners Should Be Emboldened by Lai's National Day Speech

Published 10/10/2025 14:57

By Alex Chen/Leon Lien/Tiffany Wong

President Lai Ching-te delivered his second National Day speech, highlighting Taiwan's strong economy and commitment to self-defense. Wen-Ti Sung, non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council, says the speech took on a softer tone towards China while emphasizing Taiwan's partnerships for regional security.

So a big topic that comes up in most National Day speeches is Taiwan’s relations with China and security in the Taiwan Strait. How does Lai’s speech this year compare with his first National Day speech last year?

I think Lai bilaterally he tried to be using more graceful language towards China when he called on China to talk about assuming responsibility befitting of a great power. He's really calling on China to listen to the better angels of Beijing's nature and the better angels that Lai still believes Beijing has. And when it comes to more multilateral terms, that's when he tried to be more deterrence-oriented. When he talks about the first island chain, Taiwan's position in it, and that regional countries have a have a reason for building common cause to deter and dissuade Beijing from regional geopolitical expansionism.

I think Lai this year is very specific about the defense strategy. Taiwan's pursuing specifically asymmetric strategy. And he also talks about he's about to launch a what he called Taiwan Dome that is a strong anti-missile attack system, air defenses for Taiwan. These commitments to greater defensive diversification as well. He talked about building more collaboration with defense sectors of other advanced nations, who are most likely like-minded partners who share Taiwan democratic values so that together they can pursue a joint non-red supply chain, especially when it comes to defense sectors.

Lai’s been a big advocate of “peace through strength” so with like what you said, boosting defense spending and this “T-Dome” air defense system, what do you think will be the international reaction to this, with likeminded partners, but also, with China?

I think international community is going to feel very encouraged. They're going to have more confidence in Taiwan's commitment to its own defense. Lai is pretty comprehensive. He talks about strengthening internal balance and external balance. Internal balance internal strengthen Taiwan's own domestic defense system as the increased spending also by external balance that is, leveraging more friends partners from abroad so that they can lock themselves into a more sustainable, longer term ecosystem of defense cooperation and thereby creating more defense path dependency that's going to sustain Taiwan's defensive commitments going forward. So international countries who are watching should be very emboldened by Taiwan's commitment to defense, judging from Lai’s speech.

Lai also talked a lot about social welfare policies and what he’s doing to help students, elderly people, and other challenges people might face on a daily basis. What message is he sending to the people of Taiwan?

That while Taiwan enjoys great economic success and growth, recently, redistributive justice remains high on the agenda that President Lai sees not only bigger pictures about international turmoil, economic situation, he also cares about the story of the little guys and little girls in Taiwan. And that is why he talks so much about investing in Taiwan's elderly and Taiwan's youth as well. And this manifests in increased programs for taking care of health care, as well as more education subsidy for Taiwan younger students.