Taiwan’s Lai Calls on China to Exercise Self-Restraint; Says Attack on Japan Endangers Regional Peace and Stability

By Masatsugu Sonoda / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

12:41 JST, November 18, 2025

TAIPEI — Taiwan President Lai Ching-te has called on Beijing to exercise self-restraint even as backlash intensifies in China to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comment at the Diet about a potential Taiwan Strait contingency.

According to sources including the digital edition of Taiwan’s newspaper Liberty Times, Lai told reporters Monday that China’s multifaceted attack against Japan is seriously impacting the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region.

Lai stated that the international community will continue to monitor this matter closely. He also called on China to demonstrate conduct befitting a major power and to refrain from being a troublemaker and disrupting regional peace and stability, according to reporting.