Taiwan to celebrate National Day
Taiwan celebrates its National Day today.
Taiwan National Day is a public holiday celebrating the 1911 Wuchang Uprising that ultimately led to the creation of the Republic of China. The event is celebrated with a military parade, cultural performances, and fireworks. Crowds at this year’s events are being limited due to COVID-19.
Today’s celebration comes days after China’s own National Day, in which it launched the largest violation of Taiwanese airspace in a show of military strength and strategic pressure. Cross-strait tensions between Taipei and Beijing are at their highest in decades, with fears that escalation could mistakenly spark a wider conflict. Taiwan’s leaders are under extensive pressure to demonstrate how they can defend the island against China’s might, which would be expected to draw in the US.
China will most likely react harshly to Taiwan’s National Day celebration, viewing it as a challenge to their claims of sovereignty. While China will continue its hard-line One China policy, conflict is unlikely in the short to medium-term. Beijing seeks to portray reunification as a foregone conclusion to avoid serious conflict, and the cost-benefit ratio for invasion is still too high in the face of US military might and international condemnation.
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