Lai Ching-te took office today as the 16th President of the Republic of China (Taiwan). It is expected that eight heads of state and about 50 foreign delegations will attend Lai’s inauguration, including delegations from the United States and Canada, to show support for Taiwan’s democracy.
In his inaugural speech, he stated that he would build a democratic, peaceful, and prosperous Taiwan, neither humble nor arrogant, maintain the status quo, and pursue peace and common prosperity across the Taiwan Strait.
Regarding cross-strait issues, Lai said in his victory speech on January 13 that maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is an important mission of his presidency.
President Lai’s inauguration speech continued the tone of his election speech on January 13 this year, explaining that after Taiwan’s democratic process has been rigorously tested by the people, he will lead the ruling team to inherit the past and move forward into the future, continue to move steadily on the right path, and demonstrate the stability of the new government team, with the basic attitude of self-confidence, responsibility, and unity.
At the beginning of his inauguration speech, he stated that he accepted the trust of the people with an extremely firm heart and took office as the 16th President of the Republic of China. He will shoulder the important responsibility of leading the country forward in accordance with the constitutional system of the Republic of China.
The new government’s national security team has laid out the four key elements of future governance: “stability, confidence, responsibility, and unity” to ensure that the stable status quo is not eroded, to put Taiwan on the map in the world, and to maintain the line of democracy, peace, and prosperity in domestic affairs.
On cross-strait issues, Lai called on China to stop attacking and intimidating Taiwan, and to jointly shoulder global responsibilities with Taiwan, commit to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and the region, and ensure that the world is free from war and fear.
Lai expressed the hope that China would face up to the fact of the existence of the Republic of China, respect the choice of the Taiwanese people, show sincerity, and cooperate with Taiwan’s democratically elected and legitimate government on the basis of the principles of reciprocity and dignity. He suggested replacing confrontation and containment with dialogue and exchange, starting by restarting reciprocal bilateral tourism.
However, Agence France-Presse pointed out that in recent years, Lai and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have gradually downplayed their past statements about pursuing formal independence. Lai, 64, has repeatedly offered to hold talks with China but has been rejected by Beijing. Beijing has not given up the option of military reunification so far. Lai and the ruling DPP stated that only the people of Taiwan can decide their future.
In his speech, the president mentioned the Republic of China nine times, the Republic of China Taiwan three times, and the Constitution of the Republic of China once. It is worth noting that President Lai did not mention the “Cross-Strait Act” and emphasized that the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China are not affiliated with each other.
President Lai and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim will take over from the 15th President Tsai Ing-wen. The cross-strait issue will still be the biggest challenge in the future. The public will wait and see whether the new president’s policies can effectively address this issue. | Yu-te Lee, BChannel News
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