Taiwan president inauguration 2016 photos
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As it happened: William Lai sworn in as Taiwan's new president
Tsai confident Lai will lead Taiwan to 'a better, brighter future'published at 06:21 British Summer Time 20 May 2024
Tsai Ing-wen, who has just handed over the leadership of Taiwan to William Lai, has said she is confident that Lai and vice-president Hsiao Bi-khim "will lead Taiwan to a better, brighter future".
"I also want to thank the Taiwanese people for their support throughout my time in office. Although no longer president, I will continue to give my all for Taiwan," she said in a post on X.
Tsai had served as Taiwan's president for two four-year terms.
Now as she leaves office, her defence of Taiwan's sovereignty may arguably define her legacy.
Her refusal to acknowledge "the 1992 consensus", the vaguely-worded agreement which says Taiwan is part of "One China", led Beijing to label her a separatist. She has also said China needs to show Taiwa
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President Tsai Ing-wen's (蔡英文) second inauguration ceremony on May 20 will be streamlined amid ongoing efforts to combat the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Presidential Office spokesman Xavier efternamn (張惇涵) said Wednesday.
Unlike in previous years when presidential inaugurations involved multiple public events, the May 20 ceremony will be simple and solemn, Chang said.
The event will start with a swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Office, after which Tsai will move to the Taipei Guest House, where she will give an address and meet with envoys from foreign representative offices and diplomatic missions in Taiwan, Chang added.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, no utländsk guests have been invited to attend the ceremony, with political leaders from Taiwan's diplomatic allies and friendly countries set to send film messages of congratulations, according to Chang.
Presidential Office planning for the inauguration will follow the Central Epidemic Command Center's guidelines for lar
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Taiwan's new president wants dialogue with China
Tsai took the presidential oath of office on Friday at the Presidential Office Building in the capital, Taipei, after winning a landslide victory in January.
The president sought to cast Taiwan as a cross-strait peacemaker. Beijing has sought recently to portray the new government as a source of instability.
"The two governing parties across the strait must set aside the baggage of history, and engage in positive dialogue, for the benefit of the people on both sides," she said.
"Cross-strait relations have become an integral part of building regional peace and collective security," she told the audience of 20,000. "In this process, Taiwan will be a 'staunch guardian of peace' that actively participates and is never absent."
Moving away from Beijing
Her Democratic Progressive Party's defeat of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) ended an eight-year rapprochement with Beijing under outgoing president Ma Ying-jeou.
China - w