New Taiwan President Lai Ching-te faces big challenges

President Lai Ching-te has pledged to stay on his predecessor's narrow path of resisting Beijing without provoking it. It won't be easy.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te was sworn in Monday, facing difficult choices about how to secure the future of island democracy in a turbulent period. times – with wars breaking out abroad, divisions in the United States over American security priorities, and divisions in Taiwan over how to preserve the fragile peace with China.

Mr. Lai began his four-year term as Taiwan's president in a morning ceremony, before delivering an inaugural speech outlining his priorities to an audience outside the Presidential Office Building in Taiwan's capital Taipei.

He said he would continue to strengthen ties with Washington and other Western partners while resisting threats from Beijing and strengthening Taiwan's defenses. But he could also extend an olive branch to Beijing, welcoming the resumption of negotiations if Chinese leader Xi Jinping sets aside his key precondition: that Taiwan agrees to be part of China.

“We will see emphasis on continuity in national security, cross-strait issues and foreign policy,” said Lii Wen, new spokesperson of the new leader, whose Democratic Progressive Party promotes Taiwan's distinct status from China. But Mr. Lai, 64, faces obstacles in trying to maintain the course set by her predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen.

Unlike Ms. Tsai, Mr. Lai is less experienced in foreign policy negotiations and has a track record of combative remarks that can come back to haunt him. He also faces two emboldened opposition parties that earlier this year won a majority of seats in the legislature – a challenge Ms Tsai has not faced in her eight years as president .

ImagePreparations for the inauguration of the presidential office building in Taipei on Friday.Credit.. . Yasuyoshi Chiba/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

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