Who is Lai Ching-te, Taiwan’s new President?
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Lai Ching-te, a former doctor from a poor mining family, was propelled into politics by a military crisis in the Taiwan Strait 27 years ago.
Now, the soft-spoken political veteran is tasked with preventing another one from happening as the newly elected leader of the self-ruled island that China’s Communist ** has vowed to one day absorb.
On Saturday, Lai, 64, the current vice president from the ruling Democratic Progressive ** (DPP), won a widely watched election to become Taiwan’s next president.
His victory handed the DPP a historic third c**ecutive term, delivering a snub to years of growing threats from Taiwan’s much-larger authoritarian neighbor, China.
“The election has shown the world the commitment of the Taiwanese people to democracy, which I hope China can understand,” Lai told thousands of jubilant supporters at a rally after his win.
Lai, who has long faced Beijing’s wrath for championing Taiwan’s sovereignty, said as president he has “an important resp**ibility to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” pledging to pursue dialogue with China under the principles of dignity and parity. |