Taiwan celebrates its National Day holiday against background of Chinese threats

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan celebrated its National Day holiday Thursday against the background of threats from China, which claims the self-governing island republic as its own territory.

The celebration marks the establishment of the Republic of China, which overthrew the Qing Dynasty in 1911 and fled to Taiwan as Mao Zedong’s Communists swept to power on the mainland during a civil war in 1949. Taiwan was run under martial law until transitioning to full democracy in the 1980s and 1990s but maintains the original constitution brought from China and the ROC flag.

President Lai Ching-te took office in May, continuing the eight-year rule of the Democratic Progressive Party that rejects China’s demand that it recognize Taiwan is a part of China. The Nationalists adhere to a unification stance that recognizes both sides of the Taiwan Strait as a single nation.

In a speech marking the holiday, Lai spoke of Taiwan's technology achievements such as those driving the computer chips industry, calling it a “global force for prosperity and development.” He also praised athletes such as boxer Lin Yu-ting, who won gold at the Paris Olympics, and young people who have won prizes in international technical competitions.

Thursday’s commemorations included military displays, but no heavy military equipment as seen in years past. And it included performances with music and flag and athletic feats like flips and other stunts.

Addressing the threat from China, Lai took a firm but measured line while offering cooperation on areas from fighting infectious diseases to maintaining “regional peace and stability.”

“We hope that China will live up to the expectations of the international community, that it will apply its influence and work with other countries toward ending Russia's invasion of Ukraine and end conflicts in the Middle East,” Lai said.

“And we hope that (China) will take up its international responsibilities and, along with Taiwan, contribute to the peace, security and prosperity of the region and the globe,” the president said.

Maintaining its military pressure on Taiwan, China's People's Liberation Army sent 15 planes across the median line in the Taiwan Strait, prompting Taiwan to scramble jets, dispatch ships and activate missile systems.

In response to such threats, Taiwan has ordered billions of dollars in fighter jets, tanks, missiles and various upgrades to existing gear from the U.S., while revitalizing its own defense industry with the production of submarines and other equipment aimed at deterring or fending off a Chinese attack.

At the same time, Taiwan faces economic threats from China ranging from a possible blockade of the trade-dependent island to an undermining of its financial system. China routinely states that Taiwan independence is a “dead end” and that annexation by Beijing is a historical inevitability.

Lai appeared to address such issues in his address, saying: “Finally, we must strengthen resilience throughout Taiwan in national defense, economic livelihoods, disaster prevention and democracy.”

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Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te delivers a speech during National Day celebrations in front of the Presidential Building in Taipei, Taiwan, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

A military honor guard attends National Day celebrations in front of the Presidential Building in Taipei, Taiwan, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

A person poses with Taiwan's national flag for a photo during National Day celebrations in front of the Presidential Building in Taipei, Taiwan, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

A person poses with a slogan reading "Honor Time" for a photo during National Day celebrations in front of the Presidential Building in Taipei, Taiwan, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te waves during National Day celebrations in front of the Presidential Building in Taipei, Taiwan, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)

Multiple powerful tornadoes ripped across Florida hours before Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday, tearing off roofs, overturning vehicles and sucking debris into the air as the black V-shaped columns moved through.

Deaths were reported in St. Lucie County on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, but local authorities did not specify how many residents had been killed.

By Wednesday evening, more than 130 tornado warnings associated with Milton had been issued by National Weather Services offices in Florida.

The appearance of tornadoes before and during hurricanes isn't unusual, scientists say, but the twisters' ferocity was.

“It’s definitely out of the ordinary,” said Northern Illinois University meteorology professor Victor Gensini. “Hurricanes do produce tornadoes, but they’re usually weak. What we saw today was much closer to what we see in the Great Plains in the spring."

Tornadoes spawned by hurricanes and tropical storms most often occur in the right-front quadrant of the storm, but sometimes they can also take place near the storm’s eyewall, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The heat and humidity present in the atmosphere during such storms and changes in wind direction or speed with height, known as wind shear, contribute to their likelihood.

“There’s an incredible amount of swirling going on,” Gensini said of the conditions that allowed for the twisters to grow. “Those tornadoes were just in a very favorable environment.”

The warming of the oceans by climate change is making hurricanes more intense, but Gensini said he did not know of any connection between human-caused warming and the deadly tornadoes that Floridians experienced with Milton.

Approximately 12.6 million people in the state were facing potential exposure under a National Weather Service tornado advisory in place until Wednesday night.

Videos posted to Reddit and other social media sites showed large funnel clouds over neighborhoods in Palm Beach County and elsewhere in the state.

Luke Culver, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami, said he wasn’t sure whether Milton had spawned a record number of tornados, but he pointed out that only 64 Florida tornado warnings were associated with Hurricane Ian, which hit the Tampa Bay area as a massive storm in 2022.

Florida has more tornadoes per square mile than any other state. But they’re usually not as severe as those in Midwest and Plains. However, a big outburst of powerful twisters killed 42 people and injured over 260 in Central Florida in the space of a few hours in February 1998.

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An apparent tornado caused by Hurricane Milton tossed an ice machine into the parking lot of a 7-Eleven convenient store, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Cape Coral, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

An apparent tornado caused by Hurricane Milton, tore the awning off a 7-Eleven convenient store, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Cape Coral, Fla.(AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

An apparent tornado caused by Hurricane Milton, tore the awning off a 7-Eleven convenient store, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Cape Coral, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)