Force cannot ‘bring true peace,’ Lai tells pope in letterReuters, TAIPEIAny attempt to change the "status quo" by force or coercion cannot bring true peace, President William Lai (賴清德) said in a letter to Pope Leo released by the Presidential Office today. Writing to Pope Leo in response to his Jan. 1 World Day of Peace message, Lai said he had repeatedly emphasized that democracy, peace and prosperity are "Taiwan's national path and also Taiwan's link with the world." President William Lai delivers a speech at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei on March 13 last year. "I firmly believe that any attempt to change Taiwan's status quo through force or coercion cannot bring true peace," he said. Beijing says World War II documents like the Cairo Declaration, as well as the 1971 UN resolution, give international legal backing to its sovereignty claims over Taiwan.

Source: Taipei Times January 30, 2026 03:00 UTC