Lai Ching-te has taken oath as the sixth democratically elected President of the Republic of China (as it is officially known) or Taiwan. In his inaugural speech, the new Taiwanese President, who has called himself a ‘pragmatic worker for Taiwanese independence’ reiterated his stance saying “Taiwan is an independent country.” The Harvard University Master’s degree holder also added “Twenty three million people will decide their own destiny, We are not subordinate to mainland China (People’s Republic of China). Government, people, land, sovereignty, constitution, we have it all.”
In the week leading up to Ching-te’s or William Lai’s inauguration, China repeatedly sent ships and aircraft close to Taiwan in a show of force. China, which sees Taiwan as a renegade province and frequently announces its intention to reunify the Island nation by force, has called William Lai a ‘troublemaker’ and a ‘dangerous separatist who will bring war and decline to Taiwan’ in the past.
Meanwhile, Lai in his opening speech made a conciliatory push, pitching that both nations should work together for the greater good stating “I also want to urge China to stop intimidating Taiwan politically and militarily, and to take on the global responsibility with Taiwan to work hard on maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the region, to ensure the world is without the fear of war breaking out.”
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by an unofficial delegation from the United States. Lawmakers from Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan and South Korea also attended the grand ceremony. Leaders from most of the twelve countries that recognise Taiwan diplomatically also attended the oath-taking event.
The 64-year-old takes over from Tsai Ing-wen from the same Democratic Progressive Party. Ing-Wen during her tenure as President fostered closer relations with the West, while navigating a tricky at best relation with the People’s Republic of China.
Dhruv Yadav
