Taiwanese , President Lai Ching- dit urged , China , to continue its military and political harassment against the personal- governing area, as his opening ushered in an unprecedented third name for his independence- leaning , Democratic Progressive Party , ( DPP ).
” I hope that , China , will face the reality of the , Republic of China ‘s , existence”, the 64- season- old said, using , Taiwan ‘s , formal name, in an annual target on , May 20.
The 20, 000-person crowd on the street in front of the National Office erupted in cheers for his statement. More than 500 visitors from 51 international delegations were among the crowd.
Beijing , needs to respect the decisions of the Chinese folks, he said, adding that he hoped , China , would” choose dialogue over confrontation, exchange over containment, and under the rules of equality and respect, engage in cooperation with the legal authorities chosen by , Taiwan ‘s , people”.
This may begin with the resumption of cross- harbour tourism “on a mutual basis”, as well as the enrolment of Taiwanese degree- level students at Japanese universities, said , Mr Lai, a previous doctor who was vice- president from 2020 till his inauguration as president.
Since his predecessor , Tsai Ing- wen , took office in 2016,  , Beijing , — which claims sovereignty over , Taiwan , — has cut off all official communications with , Taipei, citing , Ms Tsai ‘s , refusal to endorse the notion of a single Chinese nation.
China , halted individual travel to , Taiwan , in 2019, citing the poor state of cross- strait relations, before suspending group travel to the island in 2020.
In the same year,  , Beijing , also banned its students from enrolling in new degree programmes in , Taiwan , universities, citing concerns over the Covid- 19 pandemic and cross- strait ties.
” Let us together pursue peace and mutual prosperity” , , Mr Lai , exhorted in his speech, adding that both sides of the , Taiwan Strait , had a shared responsibility for maintaining peace and stability in the region.
The inauguration ceremony, which took place in the late morning under cloudy skies, was attended by leaders from some of the 12 countries with which , Taipei , still maintains formal diplomatic ties, including , Paraguay ‘s , President , Santiago Pena.
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Several former American officials, current lawmakers from countries including , Japan , and , Canada, and the , Taipei- based de facto ambassadors of countries with no formal diplomatic ties with , Taiwan , also attended the event.
A performance by marching bands, military foot drills, and song-and-dance performances by various community groups were on display for the audience.
Hours earlier at , 9am,  , Mr Lai , was sworn in at the Presidential Office alongside new Vice- President , Hsiao Bi- khim, 52, who had served as , Taiwan ‘s , de facto ambassador to , Washington , from 2020 until her resignation in , November 2023 , to run in the election in January.
While the new administration is expected to largely continue the policies of , Ms Tsai,  , Beijing , has a particular distrust of , Mr Lai, repeatedly labelling him a “dangerous separatist” and a” troublemaker”.
China , has never renounced the use of force to achieve “reunification”, and has stepped up its diplomatic, economic and military pressure against the island in recent years.
Since , Mr Lai ‘s , election in January, Chinese military aircraft have flown closer to the island compared with earlier such flights, with an unspecified number of planes flying as close as 37 nautical miles to the northern Taiwanese port city of Keelung. This is the Taiwanese military’s closest known flaw to being made public.
Beijing , also began conducting regular coast guard patrols near , Taiwan ‘s , outlying Kinmen islands about 3km off the coast of southern , Fujian , province in recent months and entering what , Taipei , calls the islands ‘ “restricted” and “prohibited waters”.  , China , has denied the existence of such restricted areas.
Mr Lai , said such moves show that , Taiwan , “must not harbour any delusions” even as the island pursues peace.
” So long as , China , refuses to renounce the use of force against , Taiwan, all of us in , Taiwan , ought to understand that even if we fully accept , China ‘s , proposition and give up our sovereignty,  , China ‘s , attempt to annex , Taiwan , will not disappear”.
Taiwan , needs to demonstrate its resolution to defend itself, raise its defence awareness and strengthen its legal framework for national security, he added.
In response, a spokesman for , China ‘s , Taiwan Affairs Office , said , Mr Lai ‘s , speech had” stubbornly adhered to the stance of , Taiwan , independence” and gone against mainstream public opinion on the island.
” The leader of the , Taiwan , region released dangerous signals, seeking’ independence’ provocations and undermining peace and stability across the , Taiwan Strait”, said the spokesman. ” This fully exposed his true nature as a’ Taiwan , independence worker ‘”.
China ‘s , Foreign Ministry , spokesman , Wang Wenbin , said at a press conference that , Taiwan , independence was” a dead end”.
” No matter how the internal political situation in , Taiwan , changes, it will not change the historical and legal fact that both sides of the strait belong to one , China”, he said. ” The day of , China ‘s , complete unification will come eventually”.
Besides geopolitical challenges, domestic headwinds also loom large for , Mr Lai , as his party lost its parliamentary majority in January’s concurrent legislative elections, which could make it harder for his administration to push through policies.
While no party ended up with an absolute majority in the 113- seat legislature, the main opposition Kuomintang ( KMT ) has 52 seats, one more than the DPP’s 51, while the smaller , Taiwan People’s Party , became kingmaker with eight seats. Independents who shared the KMT’s ideology won two of the other seats.
On , May 17, a dispute over parliamentary reforms led to chaos in the Taiwanese legislature, with lawmakers shoving and tackling one another. Several legislators suffered injuries in the melee and were taken to a hospital for treatment.
Acknowledging the new political landscape in the legislature,  , Mr Lai , said it is a result of the people’s choice.
” The people of , Taiwan , have high expectations for rational governance among political parties. Apart from competition, parties should also believe in cooperation”, he said.
The minority accepts majority rule, while the majority respects the minority. Only then can we avoid conflict and maintain a complacency and harmony of society.
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( c ) 2024 the Asia News Network
Distributed by , Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
