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Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te was sworn into office, following his predecessor Tsai Ing-Wen being termed out after eight years. The following are highlights from President Lai’s inaugural speech:
Offering Peace To China, but Demanding Relations Based on Respect
Lai offered an olive branch to China, calling on both countries to “together pursue peace and mutual prosperity.”
But Lai also set terms for acceptable China-Taiwan relations, in that China needs to “…face the reality of the Republic of China’s [i.e., Taiwan’s] existence, respect the choices of the people of Taiwan, and in good faith, choose dialogue over confrontation, exchange over containment, and under the principles of parity and dignity, engage in cooperation with the legal government chosen by Taiwan’s people.” As first steps towards better relations, Lai offered mutual resumption of tourism, and enrollment of mainland Chinese in Taiwan’s universities.
While hopeful, Lai maintained a somber assessment of China’s threat, calling on Taiwan’s citizens to “…not harbor any delusions.” He called on China “to cease [its] political and military intimidation against Taiwan.” Even after recognizing the Russia/Ukraine and Hamas/Israel wars, Lai maintained that “China’s military actions and gray-zone coercion are considered the greatest strategic challenges to global peace and stability.”
Offering Peace Towards Opposition, While Establishing Common Denominator for Politics
President Lai congratulated his party, the DPP, for being the first in Taiwan’s democratic history to win a third consecutive term. But at the same time, he remained very conciliatory towards the opposition. For example, Lai emphasized that he will govern as the leader of all Taiwanese, and that “[t]he new administration will work tirelessly and to the best of our ability, as all the nation’s people put us to the test.” He saw the split vote in the legislature not a cause for alarm, but as an opportunity where “ruling and opposition parties are now all able to share their ideas, and that we will be undertaking the nation’s challenges as one.” He stressed “people above all” and “nation above party.”
However, Lai established a common, non-negotiable denominator for acceptable political discourse, stating that “[a]ll of the people of Taiwan must come together to safeguard our nation; all our political parties ought to oppose annexation and protect sovereignty; and no one should entertain the idea of giving up our national sovereignty in exchange for political power.”
Making The Case for Taiwan’s Value to the World
Lai stressed Taiwan’s importance to the world. First and foremost, Lai mentioned that there is a “…strong international consensus, that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are indispensable to global security and prosperity.” Lai also stressed that Taiwan continues to be a “global beacon” in democracy and freedom.
Lai emphasized that Taiwan is “…a key player in supply chains for global democracies,” and because of this, “Taiwan has an influence on global economic development, as well as humanity’s well-being and prosperity.” To that end, Lai stressed Taiwan’s cutting edge advancements in advanced semiconductor manufacturing and AI, both in high demand globally. He specifically mentioned his goal “to develop Five Trusted Industry Sectors, namely semiconductors, AI, military, security and surveillance, and next-generation communications…” He also stated that Taiwan needs to make “bold investments” in precision medicine, quantum computing, and robotics, as well as to be a leader in UAV and next generation medium- and low-orbit communications satellites.
While Taiwan continues to keep Chinese aggression at bay, as well as to heal its political divide and continue to grow as a global innovator and beacon for democracy, Taiwan’s new president seems eager to take on his country’s many challenges.