On Thursday at his keynote national day speech, Lai said the People's Republic of China had no right to represent Taiwan, but that the island was willing to work with Beijing to combat challenges like climate change, striking both a firm and conciliatory tone, drawing anger from China.

The Mainland Affairs Council of Taiwan (MAC) on Saturday expressed its opposition to what it termed China's "economic oppression" of the self-ruled island. This statement came after the Chinese Ministry of Commerce's announcement that it was considering potential countermeasures due to Taiwan's failure to eliminate trade barriers

China is weighing additional trade measures against Taiwan after the Ministry of Commerce said on Saturday it would consider further steps against the self-ruled island. The announcement comes two days after Beijing slammed a speech made by Taiwan President Lai Ching-Te during the island's national day ceremonies.