Taipei, May 20, (dpa/GNA) – Lai Ching-te of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was sworn in as the self-governing island’s president on Monday and used his inaugural address to urge Beijing to cease its political and military intimidation.
Lai stressed that his administration will maintain the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.
“Peace is the only option,” Lai told the crowd attending his inauguration ceremony, which featured a 21-gun salute, in front of the presidential building in the capital Taipei.
He called on China to share with Taiwan the responsibility of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait as well as the greater region, and “ensure the world is free from the fear of war.”
“The future of cross-strait relations will have a decisive impact on the world,” Lai said.
Lai said China must face the reality of the existence 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.”
“This can start from the resumption of tourism on a reciprocal basis, and enrolment of degree students in Taiwanese institutions,” Lai said.
Lai stressed that Taiwan will continue working with other democracies.
“We will work together to combat disinformation, strengthen democratic resilience, address challenges, and allow Taiwan to become the MVP of the democratic world,” said Lai, who is a baseball fan, using the sports term “Most Valuable Player.”
Emphasizing that Taiwan has already mastered advanced semiconductor manufacturing, Lai said Taiwan will further boost the development in AI-related fields. “We are a key player in supply chains for global democracies,” Lai said.
The American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto US embassy in Taipei, on Monday issued a statement from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, congratulating Lai on his inauguration as Taiwan’s fifth democratically elected president.
“We look forward to working with President Lai and across Taiwan’s political spectrum to advance our shared interests and values, deepen our long-standing unofficial relationship, and maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” Blinken said.
Military transport helicopters flew Taiwan’s flag past the presidential building during the ceremonies.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in Beijing on Monday that Taiwan independence is a dead end. “No matter under what guise or banner, the pursuit of Taiwan independence and secession is doomed to fail,” he said.
Chen Binhua, a spokesman for China’s State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, on Monday reiterated Beijing’s stance that Taiwan is part of China’s territory.
Wu Renhua, a Chinese historian who witnessed the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and now lives in Taipei, told dpa that Taiwan’s new government should further show its support toward the democratization in China and concerns over human rights issues in China.
“The existence of an authoritarian China means that Taiwan has a cruel neighbour that it can never avoid,” Wu told dpa.
On Sunday, some prominent exiled Chinese dissidents, including Wang Dan and Wure Kaixi who led the 1989 Tiananmen pro-democracy movement, issued a statement, saying that they look forward to Taiwan’s new government supporting the forces for democratic progress in China.
According to Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry, more than 500 foreign guests from 51 delegations attended the inauguration ceremony and related activities, including the national leaders of eight countries which maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
Lai, 64, the son of a coal miner and a trained physician, succeeds Tsai Ing-wen, 67, to lead the democracy amid increasing threats from China, which claims the self-governing island of over 23 million people as its territory. Taiwan has had an independent government since 1949.
Tsai, who made history in 2016 as Taiwan’s first female president, could not run again after completing the maximum two terms. Her eight years in office aimed at maintaining the status quo between Taiwan and China and augmenting Taiwan’s international visibility amid a complex geopolitical situation.
Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim, 52, was also officially sworn in. She was Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the United States from 2020 to 2023 and formerly served as a DPP lawmaker for several terms.
The Chinese Communist Party considers the DPP to be a separatist organization and has threatened to invade Taiwan if the party makes any formal moves towards independence. The DPP says Taiwan already functions as an independent state and does not need to make any formal declaration.
Given the threats from China, Tsai’s administration adopted strategies to strengthen Taiwan’s defensive military capabilities and to cooperate with like-minded countries to form a collective deterrence in the region.
Lai has reiterated since his January election victory that his administration will continue to strengthen the foundations laid by Tsai, but also let Taiwan keep playing an indispensable role in the global economy.
The United States maintains a certain amount of strategic ambiguity when it comes to Taiwan, officially recognizing only the Beijing government, but it is legally bound to support Taiwan’s defence capabilities through the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act.