TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) called on China to reconsider its policies toward Taiwan during an interview on Saturday ahead of his first anniversary in office.

Lai, who won the January 2024 presidential election as the Democratic Progressive Party candidate and was sworn in on May 20, 2024, questioned China’s increasingly aggressive posture during an appearance on the YouTube channel Mindi World News.

He said the United States views China as its top strategic threat and is shifting its focus to the Indo-Pacific to counter the expansion of Beijing’s influence, per Liberty Times. He questioned whether this shift benefits China and suggested it should reassess its approach toward Taiwan.

Lai described Taiwan as a society grounded in goodwill and said China’s long-standing increases in defense spending aim to push into the Western Pacific and challenge the US-led rules-based order.

He added that the issue of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait has taken on global significance, as evidenced by frequent mentions at international conferences and summits.

Lai also expressed optimism about the outcome of upcoming tariff talks with the US in July. He said that given Taiwan’s strategic importance, any new tariffs under a second Trump administration would likely take regional peace and stability into account.