Newly elected President of Taiwan hopes for support from United States
Photo: Taiwan's new president hopes for U.S. support (GettyImages)
Lai Ching-te, the elected president of Taiwan, expressed hope for the continuation of strong support from the United States. He met with the first group of American legislators who visited Taipei after his victory in the elections, according to Reuters.
Lai Ching-te, a representative of the Democratic Progressive Party of Taiwan and the current vice president, will assume office on May 20. China, which considers Taiwan its province, views him as a supporter of separatism and refuses to engage in negotiations with him.
Meeting with leaders of the Taiwan Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, Taiwan's President-elect Lai Ching-te emphasized that democracy and freedom are fundamental values that unite the United States and Taiwan.
"Taiwan is situated in the first island chain and stands on the frontline of China's authoritarian expansionism. This makes Taiwan a crucial strategic location. Stability across the Taiwan Strait is extremely important to regional and global peace and prosperity," said Lai.
He added that he would continue to defend the status quo of peace and stability through the Taiwan Strait.
"I hope the United States can continue to firmly support Taiwan, deepen bilateral cooperation and relations and work with other democratic partners to ensure peace and prosperity in the region," he said.
Conflict between China and Taiwan
The conflict between China and Taiwan originated in 1949 when, following the Chinese Civil War, the Communist Party of China emerged victorious over the Nationalist Party (Kuomintang). Those who lost fled to Taiwan, where they established the Republic of China. The People's Republic of China, founded by the Communists, considers Taiwan its province and threatens to use force to bring it under its control.
The conflict has escalated in recent years as China has become more aggressive in its actions toward Taiwan. In 2022, the PRC sent a record number of military aircraft into Taiwan's air defense identification zone.
Taiwan reported six more Chinese air balloons flying towards the island.
It was previously known that China responded to the elections in Taiwan, declaring the inevitable reunification with the island.
