In a speech marking the country’s 115th anniversary, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te focused on defense and deterrence, arguing that peace depends on Taiwan having the strength to resist coercion and on democracies working together to preserve the regional status quo. His remarks pushed back against Beijing’s effort to define Taiwan’s place in the world, stressing that only the Taiwanese people have the right to determine their own future . Lai also invoked the Biblical image of a “city upon a hill” — a phrase rooted in the Christian Sermon on the Mount and later woven into the American political tradition — to describe the kind of democratic example that Taiwan should aspire to become. In this episode, we examine Lai’s National Day speech, the defense challenges facing Taiwan, Beijing’s response and what it means for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the wider Indo-Pacific.
*Recorded on October 12, 2026 at 11am Taiwan Standard Time
Host/Senior Producer: Yin Khvat
Videographer: Damon Lin
Our guests:
Alexander Huang
- Council on Strategic and Wargaming Studies Chair
Stephen Yates
- Heritage Foundation Senior Research Fellow
Srinjoy Chowdhury
- Defense and International Affairs Journalist and Author
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