In his latest address, Taiwanese President William Lai sought to balance pro-sovereignty and peace narratives while highlighting economic wins ahead of his party's expected gains in upcoming local elections and a victory in the 2028 general elections if, as appears likely, U.S.-China trade talks falter, U.S. arms sales to Taiwan revive and Chinese military drills expand. On Oct. 10, Lai gave his annual speech to celebrate Taiwan's National Day. This year, his speech, entitled "Taiwan's Future: A City Upon a Hill, the Salt and Light of the World," focused on highlighting what Taiwan has to offer to the world — economically, technologically, democratically and from a human rights perspective. He then juxtaposed this with the "war and authoritarian expansion" of the last year, including territorial threats posed by China, as well as tariffs and energy threats posed by unnamed actors.