Taiwan’s new president takes oath, sends China a message

Taiwan’s new president takes oath, sends China a message

WILLIAM Lai Ching-te was officially sworn in as the sixth President of Taiwan. He is expected to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor Tsai Ing-Wen by navigating the country in the same direction.

The oath-taking ceremony was held months after the high-stakes elections in January and monitored by the international community.

Lai pledged to protect stability and maintain the status quo in the self-ruled island.

He said China’s attempt to annex Taiwan will not disappear and called Beijing to stop intimidation against the self-ruled island.

The new president also urged China to accept Taiwan’s existence.

The U.S. has been supporting Taiwan through weapons transfer, bilateral defense dialogues, and training activities.

The U.S. State Department has approved a $300 million sale of equipment to Taiwan in December 2023.

U.S. President Joe Biden previously warned that American forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion which sparked ire from Beijing.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping told President Joe Biden that Beijing will reunify Taiwan with mainland China but that the timing has not yet been decided.

Xi made the statement to Biden during the summit in San Francisco in December of last year.

A lot of countries have supported the One China principle which states there is only one sovereign state under the name China, and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China.

This position has been held dearly by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

 

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