In Taipei, the new president, addressing Beijing, called for an end to political and military threats, once again signaling continuity with Tsai Ing-wen’s political line. There are also internal challenges: a deeply divided parliament and the rising cost of living.
Taipei (/Agencies) – From today Lai Ching-te is officially the new president of Taiwan: during his inauguration speech he asked China to put an end to political and military threats and to replace confrontation with dialogue in favor of a lasting peace. Words that denote a desire to maintain the status quo and not enter into direct confrontation with Beijing, which considers the island a “rebellious province” that is part of its territory.
“I also want to urge China to stop bullying Taiwan politically and militarily, and to take on the world’s responsibility to Taiwan to strive to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the region, to ensure that “The world is not afraid of a war breaking out,” said Lai, also known by his English name William. “We also want to declare this to the world: Taiwan makes no concessions on democracy and freedom. “Peace is the only option and prosperity is our goal for long-term peace and stability.”
There was no immediate reaction from China, which repeatedly called Lai a “separatist.” Before the elections, held in January, Beijing had even proposed that Lai be prosecuted for secession because at the beginning of his political career he was in favor of full independence for Taiwan. Now, this 64-year-old man is loyal to the political line of President Tsai Ing-wen, to whom he was deputy for four years. By training as a doctor, Lai managed to win the Democratic Progressive Party a third term, despite its declining popularity among young people.
“Fellow citizens, we have the ‘aim to pursue peace, but we must not get our hopes up,'” Lai said this morning. “Before China gives up on using force to invade Taiwan, citizens must understand this: even if we accept all of China’s claims and give up our sovereignty, China’s ambition to annex Taiwan will not disappear,” he added, reiterating that the Republic of China – the official name of Taiwan – and the People’s Republic of China “are not subordinate to each other”, words that indicate a desire to maintain President Tsai’s political legacy. The former president believed that bolstering defenses and gaining the support of important allies, such as the United States and Japan, was crucial to deterring Chinese invasion plans. However, the opposition, represented by the Kuomintang party, maintains that this rhetoric, on the contrary, risks provoking Beijing.
In recent years, Chinese military incursions into the island’s waters and airspace have become routine. The Ministry of Defense, in its daily report on Chinese military activities in the last 24 hours, reported that six Chinese planes crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait (a kind of informal border never recognized by Beijing). Meanwhile, Taiwan increased its military spending to $20 billion during Tsai’s presidency. Taiwan bought new tanks, fighter jets and missile boats to patrol the Strait, and in September built the country’s first entirely domestically developed submarine. Lai has promised even more funds in the defense sector.
Present at this morning’s inauguration ceremony were former U.S. officials and politicians from several countries, including Japan, Germany and Canada, as well as the leaders of some of the 12 countries that still maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Lai and stated that the United States looks forward to working together “to promote our common interests and values and maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
The new president will have no shortage of internal challenges: in addition to facing unemployment and the rising cost of living, the Democratic Progressive Party lost its majority in Parliament in January and is now divided. In recent days, some deputies they got into a fight during a debate on a legislative reform project.
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