Taiwan's New President Lai Ching-te Takes Office Amid China Tensions
On May 20, 2024, Taiwan inaugurated its new president, Lai Ching-te. The event took place in Taipei and was attended by thousands of people. Lai's presidency comes at a time when tensions between Taiwan and China are escalating.
Lai has vowed to continue Taiwan's policy of de facto independence and bolster its defenses against China. He plans to import advanced fighters and other technology from the United States, expand the defense industry with submarine and aircraft manufacture, and reinforce regional partnerships with Taiwan's unofficial allies such as the United States, Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has been upping its threats to annex it by force if necessary. Beijing was not invited to Lai's inauguration ceremony. In his inaugural address, Lai urged China to stop intimidation of the democratic island.
The United States congratulated the Taiwan people for demonstrating the strength of their democratic system and commended outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen for strengthening ties between the United States and Taiwan over the past eight years.
Lai, who was vice president during Tsai's second term, has a more moderate stance on cross-strait relations compared to his earlier career. He has vowed to maintain the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and explore possibilities for talks with Beijing.
Taiwan became the first place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriages during Tsai's tenure, though critics say she skirted political responsibility by leaving the decision up to the Supreme Court and a series of referendums. She oversaw a controversial pension and labor reform and extended military conscription length to one year. She also kickstarted a military modernization drive, including a program for building indigenous submarines at over $16 billion each.
Tsai's leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic split public opinion, with most admiring Taiwan's initial ability to keep the virus largely outside its borders but criticizing the lack of investment in rapid testing as the pandemic progressed.
