comment Lai Ching-te, Taiwan's president   (Lai Ching-te takes up the mantle from his DPP predecessor Tsai Ing-wen since May 20, 2024.)
　

◆  Economist 2024-10-3: Chinese authorities call Lai Ching-te a stubborn, confrontational “separatist” who may provoke war in the Taiwan Strait. But since Mr Lai's election, PLA has been raising the chances of conflict by deploying more air and naval craft around Taiwan. Few people in Taiwan are aware of how close and regular the PLA  patrols are... too much disclosure would damage Taiwan’s public morale or economy ◆  GIS Report, 2024-9-30: Lai Ching-te seems to be a much calmer character than former President Chen, although he does not yet demonstrate the elegance of Tsai Ing-wen.  In terms of soft tactics, he still has a lot to improve. Lai Ching-te's hard approach is reflected in his conclusion that China had misinterpreted United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758  ◆  National Interest, 2024-9-28:  Taiwan is at the center of the rising battle between the oldest modern democracy in the world, the United States, and China.  Tensions between Beijing and Taipei increased as a result of last January's presidential elections in the island that put into power the Democratic Progressive Party candidate, Lai Ching-te, who ran on a platform inimical to the interests of Beijing ◆  Crisis Group, 2024-9-26: The Widening Schism across the Taiwan Strait /  Beijing finds the Lai administration's cross-strait posture provocative and will escalate its already heightened pressure campaign to challenge Taiwan's de facto sovereignty.  Taipei should return to more measured, cautious public characterisations of its status and relationship to China ◆  Brookings, 2024-9-25: The Lai Ching-te administration does not believe Beijing's strategic appetite for absorbing Taiwan can be sated through dialogue, reassurance, or deeper economic integration To make progress in advancing grand strategy, the Lai administration will need to overcome deepening domestic political divides as well as challenges to Taiwan's well-being, such as limits on energy supply and demographic headwinds.   ◆  Asia Nikkei (Japan), 2024-9-26:  International Crisis Group  advises Taiwan's new president (Lai) should adopt a less muscular posture toward China, even if doing so is unlikely to soften Beijing's own hawkish ◆  War On The Rocks (2024-9-20): Washington is quietly watching how Taiwan's new president Lai consolidates power using the court to prosecute former vice premier Cheng Wen-tsan over corruption allegations.  The arrest and detention of TPP chair Ko Wen-je on corruption charges have Lai's critics protesting that he is using the judiciary to persecute rivals.  Washington observers might worry that Lai is undermining the independence of the judicial system ◆  Financial Times, 2024-9-19: China's People's Liberation Army has ratcheted up patrols and drills near Taiwan to unprecedented levels since President Lai Ching-te took office，The scale of activity is getting larger and larger, and so it is harder to discern when they might be shifting from training to a large exercise, and from an exercise to war.

◆ Asia Nikkei (Japan), 2024-9-11: Beijing wades into Taipei drama over corruption probe against TPP leader Ko Wen-je, and has accused Taiwan's president of persecuting Beijing-leaning revals ◆  Financial Times, 2024-9-6: Prosecutors' swift moves against Cheng (former premier 鄭文燦) and Ko Wen-je (Chairman of TPP) have prompted Taiwanese commentators to question whether Lai was “cleaning house” of political rivals or pushing an anti-corruption crackdown to win back public support (divert attention from the current chaos in domestic politics.). an official at the Judicial Yuan said investigators typically sounded out their superiors before proceeding with big cases, especially those involving vested interests or politicians. “In a case like this, a signal would have been given from above before they go and detain him" ◆  Asia Nikkei (Japan), 2024-9-5: Taiwan's Ko Wen-je accuses government of witch hunt;  Ko Wen-je, head of the Taiwan People's Party, vowed to fight on and launched broadsides against the legal system and the press, accusing them of doing the bidding of President Lai Ching-te's Democratic Progressive Party. ◆  Newsweek , 2024-9-5: Russian Foreign Ministry  said Lai is "being pushed towards separatism by the Americans." ; he should focus more on attention to Taiwan's economy... ◆  US News & World Report , 2024-9-1: The TPP and KMT joined forces this year to push through reforms to give parliament greater oversight power that prompted mass protests. Those reforms, opposed by President Lai Ching-te's DPP, are being reviewed by Taiwan's constitutional court.  TPP founder Ko Wen-je was released today after being questioned in graft probe ◆  Reuters, 2024-9-2: If China wants Taiwan it should also take back land from Russia, president Lai Ching-te says ◆  EFE (Spain), 2024-8-29: Taiwan says not 'affiliated' with China after Wang- Sullivan meeting in Beijing; Since  William Lai (Lai Ching-te) took office in May, China has raised the tone of its threats against the “secessionists” of Taiwan ...... ◆  SCMP, 2024-8-30: Taiwan's new leader is cutting mainland ties by reframing history ◆ Asia Nikkei (Japan), 2024-8-27: William Lai marks 100 days in office as China and opposition test mettle; The defining themes of his presidency so far have been efforts to reform the economy, strengthen Taiwan's defenses against China's threats and deal with a confrontational opposition that controls parliament. ◆ Defense News, 2024-8-23: President Lai Ching-te's election campaign promised that defense spending would reach 3% of GDP.  Taiwan's defense expenditures in 2025 will represent 2.45% of GDP, almost identical to this year's if lawmakers approve the proposal later this month. ◆ National Review, 2024-8-23: the CCP's prominent Chinese People's Political and Consultative Conference body purportedly passed a resolution urging the Chinese authorities to craft a “Taiwan Province Separatist Forces Blacklist”;  The author of that resolution called for the execution of Taiwanese president William Lai  ◆  Financial Times, 2024-8-22: Taiwan's top security officials make secret trip to US for talks; Some US officials are also privately nervous about Lai, who is inexperienced in foreign affairs and seen as more unpredictable than Tsai. ◆ Atlantic Council, 2024-8-21: Lai Ching-Te and the Legislative Yuan should work together to increase defense spending and military readiness. This requires ensuring that more new voluntary military recruits and conscripts are familiar with or trained in manning asymmetrical systems, such as the Stinger, Javelin, and Harpoon missiles.◆  AFP, 2024-8-21:  Lai Ching-te points to Beijing's joint exercises with Russia in the South China Sea, Western Pacific and Sea of Japan.  Lai has repeatedly made overtures for dialogue with Beijing but talks have effectively dried up since the 2016 election of his predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen, who has long said Taiwan is not part of China.  ◆  Asia Nikkei (Japan), 2024-8-15: Excessive U.S. pressure on Taiwan defense spending plays into (China) CCP's hands ◆  GIS Report (Geopolitical Intelligence Services), 2024-8-15: Lai Ching-te is struggling to counter the creative use of pressure coming from China. Lai's governance style is seen as more “manly” and unafraid of conflict, while lacking a degree of sophistication.   ◆  Council on Foreign Relations, 2024-8-9: Taiwan's President, Lai Ching-te, has unveiled plans to increase defense spending by nearly six percent.   Taiwan should do all it can to prepare for the worst and mounts a stiff resistance if deterrence fails. To that end, Taiwan's leaders should embrace a new defense spending target of five percent of GDP and rapidly meet that goal through yearly double-digit percentage increases ◆  Washington Post, Star and Strips, 2024-8-4: the “Zero Day” show's bleak assessment of Taiwanese readiness to fight touches upon a very real problem facing President Lai Ching-te.  Matt Pottinger says that Taiwan needs the political will and foresight to dedicate some of its best military officers to recruitment and instruction. “I'm really hoping that Taiwan makes these sacrifices"

◆  TIME, 2024-8-2: Harry Potter writer J.K. Rowling, a key opinion leader, is publicly questioning the Taiwanese athlete's ( Olympian Lin Yu Ting has XY chromosomes ) gender (a transgender ) and doubling down on opposition to the participation of athletes like Lin. Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te's spokesperson said that Lin “has shown incredible strength, overcoming doubts to compete fairly on the world stage. Your determination inspires the nation!” ◆  Bloomberg, 2024-7-30: Taiwan President Lai Ching-te pledged to work with other democracies around the world to stand up to China, and “continue to push for defense autonomy” and weapons procurement from overseas, his comments likely to deepen his rift with Beijing.◆  Reuters, 2024-7-30: Taiwan president (Lai Ching-te) warns on China, pushes defence self-reliance ◆  Benzinga, 2024-7-30: After Trump's Taiwan comments, President Lai Ching Te says 'China's threat to any individual country is a threat to the world'◆  Independent (UK), 2024-7-30: Chinese invasion of Taiwan would be worse global crisis than Ukraine war or Covid, warns president Lai Ching-te  ◆  Politico, 2024-7-25: Trump spooks Taiwan / The political class of Taiwan is increasingly uneasy that a Donald Trump victory in Nov. may make Taiwan a bargaining chip in U.S. diplomacy with Beijing.  Trump also suggested that trying to defend the island would be futile ◆  Associated Press, 2024-7-24: President Lai Ching-te stressed the need for the island to continue exercises simulating an attack by enemies amid 'changing geopolitics'.◆  Bloomberg, 2024-7-22: Taiwan's President risks angering China with 'National Identity' call.  Lai Ching-te urges DPP to protect Taiwan sovereignty. KMT lawmaker said it smacked of “ideology and nationalism” and was a sign that Lai was moving toward despotism ◆  US News, 2024-7-21: Taiwan must protect its sovereignty and know its own culture and history, President Lai Ching-te said, rejecting what he said was the previous mistaken belief the island could serve as a base to "retake" China.  ◆  New York Times, 2024-7-16: China is putting more military and political pressure on Taiwan and its new president (Lai Ching-te), whose rhetoric has been sharper than his predecessor's... Mr. Lai with hard choices about how and when to push back or exercise restraint ◆ Bloomberg, TIME, 2024-7-11: China sent a record number of warplanes across a U.S.-drawn boundary in the Taiwan Strait—a move that comes as the new president (Lai Ching-te) of the archipelago mulls a trip that may include a stop in America ◆ Financial Times, 2024-7-10: President Lai Ching-te has made improving civil defences a priority since he took office.  However experts warn that Taiwan remains woefully underprepared for war. ◆ Reuters, 2024-7-9: Taiwan president says ahead of annual war games that "In history, there are many cases where the few win out over the many, and there are countless ways to win over old-fashioned enemies with new thinking." ◆ National Interest, 2024-7-5: Taiwan seeks to escape its history /  Lai Ching-te said Taiwan has been an international entity ... since 1624.  DPP administrations have issued textbooks that teach Taiwan's history separately from Chinese history.   But The Struggle for Taiwan : Taiwan was, in fact, part of the Chinese empire from 1683 to 1895, and part of the Japanese empire after the First Sino-Japanese War (1894–5).  US President Franklin Roosevelt at the wartime Cairo Conference (1943) agreed that Taiwan would be “restored to the Republic of China” after the defeat of Japan.  However, Lai's clear preference for Taiwan's permanent separation from China echoes almost verbatim an emerging U.S. argument that Taiwan's geostrategic importance dictates that Washington should never allow China to gain control over it.   nationalinterest.org/feature/taiwan-seeks-escape-its-history-211750
　

◆ Washington Examiner, 2024-7-2: Xi Jinping's regime is setting the legal and diplomatic table for a crackdown on Taiwan while blaming the United States for the growing possibility of war over the island democracy...  “The Chinese government has the right to expel this regime..."  The ominous rhetoric seems to express in part Xi’s displeasure with Lai Ching-Te  ◆ Washington Post, 2024-7-1: China: Taiwan's leadership, along with its supporters in the United States, is pursuing “separation” from China in “incremental” fashion.  ◆ Nikkei Asia , 2024-7-2: China pressures Taiwan's Lai (Ching-te) with most jet fighters in nearly 2 years  ◆ Asia Society, 2024-6-26: Lai Ching-te's inauguration speech, however, was clear and much less restrained than that of his predecessor, Tsai Ing-wen, whose rhetorical flair in public speeches opted for cautious and strategically dull wording. In fact, Lai placed greater emphasis on the differences between Taiwan and the PRC  ◆ Wall Street Journal, 2024-6-23: Lai Ching-te said he aimed to make Taiwan the “Asian center for the democratic drone supply chain."; Taiwan has the know-how to build its own unmanned aircraft, now it is a question of scale.  ◆ CNN, 2024-6-21: China has made no secret of its dislike of President Lai Ching-te.   China threatens death penalty for ‘diehard’ Taiwan separatists  ◆ Bloomberg, 2024-6-21: Activities that can lead to guilty verdicts include promoting Taiwan's membership in international organizations and conducting official exchanges and military contacts with other nations, according to a legal opinion issued by China's top court ;  But The opinion didn't name  new President Lai Ching-te or his predecessor, Tsai I. W. ◆  Voice of America, 2024-6-13:  International Crisis Group expert: Beijing's approach, it seems at least for now, is really to lean on Washington to keep the incoming Lai administration on a more moderate course  ◆  TIME, 2024-6-13: new president Lai Ching-te : "dignity and equivalence with the PRC" means 1. the PRC should recognize that the Republic of China exists. 2. each issue should be mutually beneficial and reciprocal  3.share a common conviction to enhance the well-being of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, working toward an objective of peace and mutual prosperity  ◆ VOA, 2024-6-13: The future of Taiwan, at least for the next four years, largely depends on the actions of the island's new president, Lai Ching-te.  ◆ Neue Zürcher Zeitung (Swiss), 2024-6-6:  Taiwan's president, Lai Ching-te wanted to lead the island to independence. Expert in Australia says an attack by China on Taiwan would also lead to conflicts in the South China Sea, which is claimed by China, and attacks by North Korea on South Korea. ◆ United States Institute of Peace , 2024-6-6:Given Lai Ching-te's tougher line on China and Beijing's unyielding position on Taiwan, it's unlikely that cross-Strait relations will improve or that tensions will lower anytime soon.  Washington should remain laser-focused on helping Taiwan defend itself and deter military conflict. ◆  Washington Examiner, 2024-6-4: The frosty relationship between Taiwan and China over the past eight years got even colder after Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te took office  ◆ CNN, 2024-6-4: Taiwan celebrities in crossfire of political battle as tensions with China rise   /   Ashin – one of Taiwan's biggest music stars – had referred to himself as Chinese...  Taiwan President Lai Ching-te says 'We should offer them understanding and empathy'.   ◆  Washington Examiner, 2024-5-31: In 'punishment drills', China stages dress rehearsal of military assault on Taiwan.  Foreign Affairs : invasion does not appear to be China's preferred option. Beijing's more probable plan is to gradually intensify the policy: a creeping encroachment into Taiwan's airspace, maritime space, and information space. The United States must become more alert to the dangers posed by a slow strangulation of Taiwan. ◆ Newsweek, 2024-5-31: Lai Ching-te faced China's largest-scale military exercises in nearly two years... Bonnie Glaser expects more military drills around Taiwan intended to intimidate and warn the new Lai administration against pursuing independence actions ◆ Washington Times, 2024-5-29: Joint Sword 2024A drills is also a strategic signal to Taiwanese President William Lai letting him know that every day of his administration will be under the threat of invasion, regardless of whether or not it happens. Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party are betting this will have a huge psychological impact on Mr. Lai and perhaps he will crack under the pressure and give in, or he will make a mistake and give Beijing an excuse to invade Taiwan.   ◆ SUN (Malaysia), RT, 2024-6-1: Beijing is showing it's willing to go to war over Taiwan, and it's preparing for the inevitable consequences behind the scenes. ☉ full text