Taiwan’s new president Lai Ching-te has told China to stop its campaign of military intimidation against the island, as he framed the protection of his country’s democratic freedoms as being at the front line of global peace and security. Lai, 64, was formally sworn in as Taiwan’s new leader at the Presidential Office in Taipei on Monday. The role puts him at the centre of the superpower rivalry between the US and China, as he seeks to defend the island’s sovereignty from Beijing’s increasingly aggressive push for unification with the mainland.
President William Lai Ching-te (centre), Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (right) and Former Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-Wen wave during the Taiwanese Presidential Inauguration Ceremony. Credit: Daniel Ceng Lai used his inauguration speech to send a message to Beijing that Taiwan’s commitment to democracy was unwavering, as he called China’s military threats and grey-zone coercion “the greatest strategic challenges to global peace and security”. “I also want to call on China to cease their political and military intimidation against Taiwan, share with Taiwan the global responsibility of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, as well as in the greater region, and ensure the world is free from the fear of war,” Lai said.
Addressing the Taiwanese people directly, he said peace was his primary objective as president. But he urged them not to “harbour any delusions” that appeasement would dilute China�.
