(16 Jun 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kaohsiung City, Taiwan – 16 June 2024
1. Various of military marching band at the Republic of China (R.O.C) Military Academy in the southern city of Kaohsiung during the school’s graduation ceremony
2. Various of audience members waving to Taiwan’s president William Lai during the graduation ceremony
3. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) William Lai, Taiwanese President:
“For a century, history, context and the situation have greatly changed. But we firmly believe that the Whampoa spirit is where the Republic of China is.”
4. Various of Lai and military cadets passing in front of a sign reading (Mandarin) “Honoring the Whampoa spirit”
5. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) William Lai, Taiwanese President:
“The Whampoa spirit has grown its roots and become even stronger. Here, the Whampoa spirit exists for the existence and development of the Republic of China. The real R.O.C Military Academy fights for the wellbeing and safety of the people of Taiwan. Without this ambition, it is then a fake Whampoa spirit.”
6. Various of military cadets running toward the podium where the president salutes them
7. Various of military cadets marching with large Taiwanese flag
8. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) William Lai, Taiwanese President:
“The peace and stability over the Taiwan Strait are not only the center of attention for international society. They are also important factors for global safety and prosperity. At this ceremony of the R.O.C Military Academy’s centenary, all the students and school staff should be aware of the challenges and duties of the new era. The greatest challenge is the oppressive rise of China, and it is altering the status-quo over the Taiwan Strait, and its intention to annex Taiwan and destroy the Republic of China as well as its achievements on democracy.”
10. Various of military cadets marching
STORYLINE:
Taiwan’s president said on Sunday that the "greatest challenge is the oppressive rise of China" while speaking to the graduating class of a storied military academy with roots in the Chinese mainland.
William Lai was speaking to graduates at the R.O.C. Military Academy in Kaohsiung, marking 100 years since the institution was founded in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou.
“All the students and school staff should be aware of the challenges and duties of the new era. The greatest challenge is the oppressive rise of China, and it is altering the status-quo over the Taiwan Strait, and its intention to annex Taiwan and destroy the Republic of China as well as its achievements on democracy,” he said.
Lai also made several references to Taiwan’s claim over the “Whampoa spirit,” a military legacy associated with soldiers in both mainland China and Taiwan.
The Whampoa Military Academy was founded by General Sun Yat-Sen in 1924 in Guangzhou.
After the Chinese civil war, the Nationalist government retreated to Taiwan and re-established the academy in Kaohsiung.
“For a century, history, context and the situation have greatly changed. But we firmly believe that the Whampoa spirit is where the Republic of China is,” said Lai.
China claims self-governing Taiwan as its territory and says the island must come under its control.
The Chinese military regularly sends warplanes and ships toward the island and staged a large exercise with dozens of aircraft and vessels last month.
AP video by Taijing Wu
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