William Lai pledges to retain status quo in Taiwan Strait, calls on Beijing to jointly maintain peace

Lai, branded a ‘troublemaker’ by Beijing, is expected to give clues about his cross-strait policy in his inaugural address

Since Tsai came into office, ties with the mainland have been severely strained and the island has become a source of great tension between Beijing and Washington

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Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te (left) delivers his inaugural speech alongside Vice-President Hsiao Bi-khim after being sworn into office on Monday. Photo: AFP

Phoebe Zhang,Hayley Wong,Xinlu LiangandLawrence Chung

Published: 9:08am, 20 May 2024Updated: 5:48pm, 20 May 2024

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In his first speech as president, Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te has promised to uphold the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, and called on Beijing to work jointly for peace.

“Cross-strait peace and stability is key to the world,” said Lai, who was sworn in on Monday at a ceremony in Taipei – succeeding his independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party colleague Tsai Ing-wen.

“We hope that China can take concrete steps towards reconciliation with Taiwan, including restarting bilateral exchanges, such as tourism and student exchanges, and working towards a peaceful coexistence,” he said.

“As the future of both sides of the Taiwan Strait will have a decisive impact on the development of the world, we – carrying on Taiwan’s democratisation – are the helmsmen of peace.

“We all know that a country has sovereignty. According to the constitution of the Republic of China, the sovereignty of the Republic of China belongs to the people as a whole.”

“Anyone who holds Republic of China nationality is a citizen of the Republic of China; thus, it is clear that the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other,” he said.