China Slams Taiwan's Lai as 'Troublemaker' Over Double Ten Speech

China’s Ministry of National Defense accused Taiwan President Lai Ching-te of acting as a “troublemaker” following his Double Ten national day address, with a ministry spokesman saying Lai had exaggerated the “mainland military threat” to justify pushing toward formal independence, according to China Daily and Global Times.

Lai delivered the speech on October 10, the anniversary marking the founding of the Republic of China, an occasion Taipei treats as its de facto national day. Beijing’s Ministry of National Defense responded within a day, framing the address as an attempt to stoke fear of a cross-strait military confrontation to build domestic and international support for Taiwan’s separation from the mainland, Global Times reported.

Beijing’s framing

The ministry’s language — casting Lai personally as a destabilizing figure rather than criticizing Taiwan’s government in the abstract — signals Beijing is sharpening its rhetoric ahead of what is likely to be a tense period of cross-strait signaling. China Daily’s report quoted the defense ministry spokesman describing Lai as working against the interests of people on both sides of the strait, a framing Beijing has used with increasing frequency since Lai took office.

China’s Ministry of National Defense and the broader Taiwan Affairs apparatus in Beijing have for years rejected Taiwanese leaders’ references to mainland military activity as justification for defense spending or diplomatic outreach, arguing that military exercises near the island are a response to, not a cause of, moves toward independence. Global Times characterized the ministry’s latest statement as part of that same argument, framing Lai’s warnings about mainland capability as a pretext rather than a genuine assessment of risk.

Taipei’s response

Taiwan’s government pushed back on the Chinese criticism, with officials describing the island’s position as one of defending peace and freedom rather than provoking conflict, according to Nation Thailand. Taipei has consistently framed its defense posture as a reaction to pressure from Beijing, including repeated incursions by mainland aircraft and vessels into airspace and waters near the island, rather than as an instigating factor.

The exchange follows a familiar pattern: a Taiwanese leader marks a politically significant date with language about sovereignty and resilience, and Beijing’s defense and foreign affairs apparatus responds with statements aimed at both domestic and international audiences. What differs this time is the directness of the “troublemaker” label, which Chinese state media outlets have applied narrowly and deliberately rather than as part of a broader statement on Taiwan policy.

Why it matters

Cross-strait rhetoric tends to move in tandem with broader signals of military posture, including the frequency of People’s Liberation Army aircraft sorties near Taiwan and naval activity in the strait. Analysts who track the relationship between Beijing’s public statements and subsequent military signaling will be watching for whether the ministry’s language this week is followed by an uptick in activity near the island, a pattern that has recurred around past Taiwanese political milestones.

The timing also lands amid a broader stretch of heightened global friction that has kept international attention split across multiple theaters. Washington is weighing deeper involvement in Saudi Arabia’s response to a Houthi strike on Riyadh’s airport, while separately pressing for a resolution to Russia’s war in Ukraine following a disputed diesel deal with Moscow. A fourth simultaneous flashpoint in the Taiwan Strait would add to an already stretched U.S. diplomatic and military bandwidth. Washington has not issued a public response to the Lai-Beijing exchange as of this writing.

Neither Beijing nor Taipei has announced new military measures tied directly to this week’s statements. The Ministry of National Defense’s comments stop short of specifying any change in operational posture, and Taiwan’s government has not indicated plans to alter its own defense posture in response to the criticism. Both sides’ public statements so far remain confined to rhetoric rather than announced policy or deployment changes.

This story will be updated if Beijing’s defense ministry or Taiwan’s presidential office issues further statements, or if tracked military activity near the strait changes in the coming days.