Lai's lectures blare division, no 'unity'

Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te's so-called "ten lectures on unity" — he has delivered only four — is not a call for "national unity "but a calculated "legal offensive" by separatist forces in Taiwan to systematically repackage the "Taiwan independence "agenda. By weaving together historical, cultural, political, legal and international rhetoric, Lai is trying to develop a new theory of "comprehensive independence".

As a self-proclaimed "pragmatic worker for Taiwan independence", Lai has made separatism his political identity and mission. His ambition is to exploit every opportunity to pursue "Taiwan independence" and position himself as a "player", not a pawn, in the geopolitics surrounding Taiwan.

But his so-called "unity doctrine" is a disjointed compilation of political rhetoric, which lacks historical and legal basis. His rhetoric on subjects like "nationhood", "unity", "statute", and "national defense" is wrapped in populist language. Most alarmingly, his arguments distort the legal foundation of the 1992 Consensus, posing a serious threat to cross-Strait relations, the international legal order, and regional peace and stability.