TAIPEI, Taiwan >> Taiwan’s next president, Lai Ching-de, has vowed to protect the island’s de facto independence from China and further cooperation with other democracies.
Lai, 64, won Saturday’s election on the island of 23 million people, which China claims as its own territory. He currently serves as vice president of the Democratic Progressive Party, which rejects China’s sovereignty claims over Taiwan.
Confronting supporters on Saturday night, Lai vowed that Taiwan would “continue to stand side by side with democracies around the world.”
“We are telling the international community that we stand on the side of democracy between democracy and authoritarianism,” he said.
Mr. Lai has vowed to strengthen the defense and economy of the island, which is heavily dependent on trade with China. He has also made efforts to soften his previous stance as a “pragmatic activist for Taiwanese independence.”
At the same time, the new president expressed his desire to resume dialogue with China, which has refused to communicate with the island’s leaders in recent years.
“We are ready and willing to show more to the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Peace is irreplaceable and there are no winners in war,” he said in a statement this week. spoke at the beginning.
But analysts say his chances of success in negotiating with China are almost zero.
“The Chinese government has not only repeatedly criticized the Democratic Progressive Party more broadly, but has actually criticized Lai Qingde by name,” said Wenti Song, a fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank in the United States. . “This is normally only done when the Chinese government determines that the chances of repairing relations between the two countries are extremely low.”
Instead, China is likely to resort to “maximum pressure operations,” including military and economic coercion, Song added.
As vice president, Mr. Lai contributed to promoting Taiwan’s interests internationally.
He stopped in New York and San Francisco on his way to Latin America in August, a move that was criticized by the Chinese government.
The visit was part of a diplomatic mission to Paraguay, one of more than a dozen countries that still maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Many countries, including the United States, formally recognize the People’s Republic of China but maintain unofficial relations with Taiwan.
Lai said at the time that it was important to meet with foreign officials to convey the message that Taiwan “adheres to democracy, human rights and freedom, and actively participates in international affairs.”
US President Joe Biden was asked about the election in Taiwan on Saturday as he left the White House for a weekend at the presidential retreat Camp David in Maryland.
“We do not support independence,” he said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Lai and the Taiwanese people for “once again demonstrating the strength of our strong democratic system and electoral process.”
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would ask the chairs of relevant House committees to lead a delegation to Taipei after Lai takes office in May.
Lai points to China’s missile launches and other military exercises in the Taiwan Strait in 1996 as the “defining moment” that drew him into politics.
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed in July, he pledged to maintain the status quo, saying it was in the best interests of Taiwan and the international community. He also drew a line between Taiwan and Ukraine, saying the rise of global authoritarianism had “awoke the international community to the fragility of democracy.”
In the article, he called for strengthening Taiwan’s military deterrence, strengthening its economic security, building partnerships with democracies around the world, and “stable and principled leadership on both sides of the Straits.” .
In addition to vice president, Mr. Lai has held several prominent positions, including prime minister, legislative committee, and mayor of the southern city of Tainan. He is originally a physician and holds a master’s degree in public health from Harvard University.
During President Tsai Ing-wen’s tenure, Taiwan increased its arms purchases from the United States, but Taiwan is required by law to provide the island with the weapons it needs to defend itself.
His running mate is former US special envoy Bikim Hsiao.
In 2022, when Lai, the highest-ranking Taiwanese official in decades, traveled to nearby Japan to attend the funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, China issued a strong condemnation.
Adam Schreck reported from Bangkok. Seung Min Kim contributed to this report from Washington.