President William Lai (賴清德) made repeated calls for cross-strait peace in his inaugural address on Monday, including a direct appeal to Beijing to resume tourism and student exchange.
Fresh from being sworn in at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Lai in his speech set the tenor of his coming four years in office with an emphasis on peace and domestic unity.
“The future of cross-strait relations will have a decisive impact on the world. This means that we, who have inherited a democratic Taiwan, are pilots for peace,” he said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
While calling on Beijing to cease its intimidation and thanking the world for its support, Lai proposed his “Four Pillars of Peace” in dealing with the Chinese threat.
The action plan involves strengthening national defense, improving economic security, stable and principled cross-strait leadership, and values-based diplomacy, Lai said.
“Peace is the only option. And prosperity, gained through lasting peace and stability, is our objective,” he said in the speech that mentioned “peace” 23 times.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Urging Beijing to face the reality of the Republic of China’s existence, Lai suggested starting from the resumption of reciprocal cross-strait tourism and enrollment of degree students in Taiwan.
Beijing in 2019 halted individual travel to Taiwan, followed by a full suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It last year unilaterally opened to travelers from Taiwan, resulting in calls for proper reciprocal dialogue from Taipei as a prerequisite to resuming tourism.
To open his speech, Lai recalled his former career as a physician.
“When I was young, I was determined to practice medicine and save lives. When I went into politics, I was determined to transform Taiwan. Now, standing here, I am determined to strengthen the nation,” he said.
He quickly addressed the results of the election, which left his ruling Democratic Progressive Party with an unprecedented third consecutive term, but no party with a majority in the legislature.
“I want to say to everyone that this new structure is a result of the people’s choice,” he said. “Looking at it with a different frame of mind, a lack of absolute majority means that the ruling and opposition parties are now all able to share their ideas, and that we will be undertaking the nation’s challenges as one.”
Lai urged the parties to meet the people’s “high expectations for rational governance” and put national interests ahead of party interests, proposing legislation “that conforms with our Constitution.”
The appeal comes days after dramatic scenes in the legislature on Friday that resulted in five lawmakers being taken to a hospital. The brawls erupted over legislative reform bills proposed by the opposition that would enable greater oversight of the Executive Yuan, including a proposal to criminalize officials who are deemed to make false statements in the legislature.
In regards to industrial development, Lai emphasized the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) and Taiwan’s key role as a semiconductor manufacturing powerhouse, as well as the goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
“As we meet the global challenges of adopting more and more smart technologies, we in Taiwan, a ‘silicon island,’ must do all we can to expedite Taiwan’s transformation into an ‘AI island,’” he said, calling for the widespread adoption of AI to strengthen the nation, military, workforce and economy.
The new president named “Five Trusted Industry Sectors” to be the focus of development: semiconductors, AI, military, security and surveillance, and next-generation communications.
He also announced his “National Project of Hope,” a sweeping policy aimed at providing government support to people in all stages of life.
The project would continue the caregiving, housing, social and reform services of the previous administration, while addressing cost of living issues, the wealth gap and low pay, among other domestic issues of concern, Lai said.
“I understand the concerns and expectations of the people of Taiwan. As to the issues you are concerned with and the reform society needs, the government will do its utmost to achieve solutions,” he said.
He concluded by acknowledging the new residents who have made Taiwan their home, as well as the foreign guests in attendance.
“Some call this land the Republic of China, some call it the Republic of China Taiwan, and some, Taiwan, but whichever of these names we ourselves or our international friends choose to call our nation, we will resonate and shine all the same,” he said. “So let us overcome our differences and stride forward, with our shared aspirations, to meet the world.”
‘ABUSE OF POWER’: Lee Chun-yi allegedly used a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon and take his wife to restaurants, media reports said Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) resigned on Sunday night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by the media. Control Yuan Vice President Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) yesterday apologized to the public over the issue. The watchdog body would follow up on similar accusations made by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and would investigate the alleged misuse of government vehicles by three other Control Yuan members: Su Li-chiung (蘇麗瓊), Lin Yu-jung (林郁容) and Wang Jung-chang (王榮璋), Lee Hung-chun said. Lee Chun-yi in a statement apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a
BEIJING’S ‘PAWN’: ‘We, as Chinese, should never forget our roots, history, culture,’ Want Want Holdings general manager Tsai Wang-ting said at a summit in China The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday condemned Want Want China Times Media Group (旺旺中時媒體集團) for making comments at the Cross-Strait Chinese Culture Summit that it said have damaged Taiwan’s sovereignty, adding that it would investigate if the group had colluded with China in the matter and contravened cross-strait regulations. The council issued a statement after Want Want Holdings (旺旺集團有限公司) general manager Tsai Wang-ting (蔡旺庭), the third son of the group’s founder, Tsai Eng-meng (蔡衍明), said at the summit last week that the group originated in “Chinese Taiwan,” and has developed and prospered in “the motherland.” “We, as Chinese, should never
INDO-PACIFIC REGION: Royal Navy ships exercise the right of freedom of navigation, including in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, the UK’s Tony Radakin told a summit Freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region is as important as it is in the English Channel, British Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Tony Radakin said at a summit in Singapore on Saturday. The remark came as the British Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier, the HMS Prince of Wales, is on an eight-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific region as head of an international carrier strike group. “Upholding the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and with it, the principles of the freedom of navigation, in this part of the world matters to us just as it matters in the
‘A SURVIVAL QUESTION’: US officials have been urging the opposition KMT and TPP not to block defense spending, especially the special defense budget, an official said The US plans to ramp up weapons sales to Taiwan to a level exceeding US President Donald Trump’s first term as part of an effort to deter China as it intensifies military pressure on the nation, two US officials said on condition of anonymity. If US arms sales do accelerate, it could ease worries about the extent of Trump’s commitment to Taiwan. It would also add new friction to the tense US-China relationship. The officials said they expect US approvals for weapons sales to Taiwan over the next four years to surpass those in Trump’s first term, with one of them saying
RSS