TAIPEI — Taiwan's National Day celebrations this week highlighted deep divisions within its political class, as the president and the opposition spoke about sharply different personalities and visions.
President Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party, who took office in May, once again vocally defended Taiwan's sovereignty and Taiwanese identity in accordance with the policies and constitution of the Republic of China. The main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), on the other hand, promoted a China-centric narrative based on the sovereign claims of the old Chinese revolutionary state, to which they believed Taiwan belonged.