Lai Ching-te Sworn In As Taiwan New President

The newly elected President of Taiwan, Lai Ching-te, was officially sworn in on Monday (today) after his victory in the 2024 presidential election held in January.

During his inauguration speech today, President Lai stressed his commitment to safeguarding Taiwan’s democracy and urged China to cease its military intimidation towards the self-governing island.

He also directly acknowledged the looming threat of war, which has been mounting due to China’s persistent efforts to bring Taiwan under its control.

President Lai expressed his gratitude to the Taiwanese citizens for their unwavering dedication to democracy, stating that a “glorious era of Taiwan’s democracy has dawned” thanks to their resolute defence against external influences.

“In the face of the many threats and attempts of infiltration from China, we must demonstrate our resolution to defend our nation, and we must also raise our defence awareness and strengthen our legal framework for national security,” said the 64-year-old politician.

Naija News understands that China has labelled Lai as a “hazardous separatist” due to his previous statements regarding Taiwan’s independence, although he has toned down his rhetoric in recent years.

In his Monday statement, Lai emphasized that his government will neither back down nor provoke, instead opting to maintain the current state of affairs. This approach aims to uphold Taiwan’s sovereignty without formally declaring independence.

Lai also took the opportunity to urge China to halt its political and military intimidation tactics against Taiwan.

He called upon Beijing to collaborate with Taiwan in shouldering the global responsibility of preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Furthermore, the Taiwan president stressed the importance of ensuring a world free from the fear of war.