Yahoo News 'A Victory for the Community of Democracies': Taiwan Elects Lai Ching-te as President
Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) secured a historic third presidential term on Saturday, January 13, electing former Vice President Lai Ching-te with 40% of the vote.
Lai defeated Hou You-ih, from the China-friendly opposition party Kuomintang (KMT), as well as Ko Wen-je, the presidential candidate of Taiwan People’s Party.
During his victory speech, Lai said his win was a victory for the “global community of democracies.”
“We are telling the international community that between democracy and authoritarianism, we will stand on the side of democracy,” he said on Saturday night.
In a statement shared by China’s state news agency Xinhua, Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Chen Binhua said the results of the election “reveal that the Democratic Progressive Party cannot represent the mainstream public opinion on the island.”
“Taiwan is China’s Taiwan”, the statement read. “…The elections will not change the basic landscape and development trend of cross-Strait relations, will not alter the shared aspiration of compatriots across the Taiwan Strait to forge closer ties, and will not impede the inevitable trend of China’s reunification.”
Lai was set to be inaugurated on May 20. Credit: Lai Ching-te via Storyful
Video transcript
- [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: Let us use our warmest applause to welcome the next president of Taiwan to deliver his remarks.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: Good evening, friends, from the domestic and international press. Thank you for being so patient.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: The Republic of China's 16th Presidential and Vice Presidential Elections, as well as 11th Legislative Elections have concluded today.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: I want to thank the Taiwanese people for writing a new chapter in our democracy. We have shown the world how much we cherish our democracy. This is our unwavering commitment.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: I want to thank the other two candidates for demonstrating the spirit of democracy. I just received their phone calls and accepted their congratulations. I also want to congratulate the parties they represent for increasing their number of seats in the legislature. I look forward to working together in unity for the future of our country.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: As one of the first and most highly anticipated elections of 2024, Taiwan has achieved a victory for the community of democracies.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: We see today's results as having three main points of significance.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: First, we are telling the international community that between democracy and authoritarianism, we will stand on the side of democracy. The Republic of China, Taiwan, will continue to walk side by side with democracies from around the world.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: Second, through our actions, the Taiwanese people have successfully resisted efforts from external forces to influence this election. We trust that only the people of Taiwan have the right to choose their own president.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: Third, in between three groups of candidates, we received the most support, meaning that the country will continue to walk on the right path forward. We will not turn around or look backwards.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: We want to Thank President Tsai and the entire governing team for their unfaltering efforts over the past eight years. They have established a solid foundation for Taiwan's reform and development.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: On this foundation, Hsiao Bi-khim and myself, we will work even harder to move the country steadily forward and enhance the well-being of the people.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: On the legislative elections, the DPP did not hold on to a majority. This means that we did not work hard enough and there are areas where we must humbly review and look back on.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: The elections have told us that the people expect an effective government, as well as strong checks and balances. We fully understand and respect these opinions from the public.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: As for the new structure of the legislature, Taiwan must build a political environment of communication, consultation, participation, and cooperation. As a result, I hereby declare first, I will carefully study the policies and positions of my two electoral opponents. As long as they bring benefit to the people and further our national development, they will be incorporated into my policy framework.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: Second, in terms of personnel appointments, I will act in accordance with the spirit of a Democratic alliance by bringing in talent from different political parties. We will welcome recommendations from a variety of professional fields to work together for our national development.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: Third, in terms of future governance, we will prioritize issues that have consensus between political parties. On issues that have not yet reached consensus and are not urgent, we will work to set aside differences while maintaining clear lines of communication.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: Fourth, for major issues that must be resolved with urgency, such as the financial sustainability of the labor and health insurance or our energy transition, we will use national conferences or other forms of policy platforms to expand the basis for discussion, invite public participation, bridge political divides, and build consensus in society.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: As President, I have an important responsibility to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. I will act in accordance with our Democratic and free constitutional order in a manner that is balanced and maintains the cross-strait status quo. Under the principles of dignity and parity we will use exchanges to replace obstructionism, dialogue to replace confrontation, and confidently pursue exchanges and cooperation with China. This furthers the well-being of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and achieves our objective of peace and common prosperity. At the same time, we are also determined to safeguard Taiwan from continuing threats and intimidation from China.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: Finally, I want to, again, thank the people of Taiwan. We are honored that you choose Lai Ching-te and Hsiao Bi-khim and we will strive to uphold this responsibility.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: The elections have concluded today. All the conflicts and passions that were expressed during the campaign should also come to an end. The 23 million people of Taiwan are all 1 big family. Let us continue to work together with unity in order to move this country forward. Thank you.
- [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: Before we begin the first question, I would just like to make a quick clarification on a mistranslation that was made. [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] means the ROC constitutional framework. This was mistranslated during the English part of the translation. Now let us begin with the first question. So if you could, again, please state your name as well as the media outlet that you represent. Let's try in the back there. Stephen from "Bloomberg".
STEPHEN ENGLE: Hello and congratulations on the election victory. I'm Stephen Engle, television correspondent for "Bloomberg" television out of Hong Kong. Obviously, with some 7 million votes cast for the 2 opposition candidates, there is room in the island for a softer voice towards China. I'd like to get your priorities to mitigate the risks to your most critical industry, semiconductors and high tech advanced tech, which have felt the pressure of increased tension between China and the US and China and Taiwan.
You told "Bloomberg" in August that Taiwan companies building factories overseas, whether it's in Arizona, Kumamoto, Japan, was a positive thing, because it displayed Taiwan's economic power. But how do you help mitigate the risk that increasing tension with China, essentially, could weaken that strategic advantage, that strategic importance that the chip industry provides Taiwan? Thank you very much.
INTERPRETER: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] Stephen Engle [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: First of all, thank you for your question. There are many industries around the world that are now moving toward a more intelligent or smarter industry, and one of them is semiconductors. Semiconductor industry, of course, is critical throughout the world. Of course, Taiwan enjoys certain advantages in the semiconductor industry, but also the world.
It is also Taiwan's responsibility to ensure that the world would also enjoy this advantage. Of course, we know that Taiwan's semiconductor industry has an advantage. But we also know that the semiconductor industry is also the world's common asset and the advancement of the semiconductor industry is actually the result of division of labor around the world. So not only Taiwan needs to cherish this achievement, China and other countries must also cherish this industry.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: Under the leadership of President Tsai Ing-wen, cross-strait policy has been steady and this method has actually gained the recognition of the international community.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: Taiwan did not engage in any provocative actions. We only want to maintain a free and Democratic style of living.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: I also expressed the same stance in my address earlier.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: As long as there is dignity and parity between two sides of the Strait, Taiwan is very willing to engage in dialogue with China. We are willing to exchange, to cooperate, for the benefit of the people on both sides of the Strait so that we can create a peaceful and also prosperous environment.
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: As President, I will, of course, continue to assist the development of the semiconductor industry. There are many different areas in the semiconductor industry, from material, to IC design, to R&D, to manufacturing, packaging, testing, et cetera. We will continue to put efforts in assisting these different industries and sectors so that we can build a comprehensive cluster and further develop the semiconductor industry. This, of course, will benefit the global economy as well.
- [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
- [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: Hello. I am Xiao Binyi from TTV. I have three questions. First of all, you talked about uniting the society so that we can let go of the aggression during the election campaign.
So I'm wondering whether or not you would find an opportunity to meet and communicate with the chairs of the two opposition parties. Secondly, you also talked about incorporating policies from the two other parties, as long as they help benefit the well-being of the people. Can you tell us what are some of the policies that you might incorporate into your policies? And the third question is that during the election campaign, both DPP and the KMT talked about building a coalition government. Will you consider this when you are forming your cabinet?
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: Thank you, Binyi, for your question. For your first question, about putting down the conflicts during the election campaign, I think we have successfully achieved the first step this evening. I mentioned during my address that I received calls of congratulations from both chairperson Ko Wen-je and also Mayor Hou You-ih. During the phone call, I also recognized their contribution during this election. Because we together have written a new page for Taiwan's history of democracy because we show to the international community that the Taiwanese people insist on a Democratic way of life.
As for the second question, as the President, of course, it is my responsibility to lead the country. So, naturally, I will find opportunities to meet with leaders of the opposition parties so that we can communicate and discuss the major issues for the country. We need to solve problems and also cooperate together to further advance the society. Number three, I mentioned earlier that under the constitutional framework and abiding by my belief in the Democratic Alliance, we will accept recommendations from various sectors and we welcome any expert to assist us in building a better society.
Now, let's go to the International Press for the third question. And in the interest of time, if you could please keep your question short. Now, since I had mentioned "Reuters" accidentally in the last one, I'd like to invite Imo from "Reuters" to ask the next question.
- [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: Mr. Lai, you have made it very loud and clear that you will follow President Tsai's stable and cautious cross-strait policy and that you will not change the status quo. But during the past eight years we have also seen that President Tsai has repeatedly offered dialogues and goodwill with Beijing, but those efforts were rejected. So we'd like to know how exactly would you do differently from President Tsai to demonstrate your goodwill?
And what exactly will you do to re-engage and restart dialogue with Beijing? And if, unfortunately, those efforts were rejected by China again, do you have a plan B? [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH].
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH].
INTERPRETER: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: Thank you for your question. In the past eight years, President Tsai had a very steady foreign policy and national defense policy. Her way of doing things have received recognition from the international community. So therefore, according to the constitutional order of the Republic of China, I will conduct cross-strait affairs according to that system. So that cross-strait relations can return to a healthy and sustainable way of exchanges.
Of course, as you said, President Tsai has been extending goodwill many times in the past eight years, however, China did not provide the response that should have been there. So in the future, we hope that China will recognize the new situation and understand that only peace benefit both sides of the Strait. In addition, the global peace and stability depends upon the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait. Therefore, we hope that China will understand the situation, because China also has a responsibility.
- [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
- [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
LAI CHING-TE: [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: So the question was from Messier from CNA. And the question was in three parts. First of all, you talked about working with the opposition parties. However, it seems now that neither party or none of the three parties will command a majority in the Legislative Yuan.
But these legislators will soon assume their offices on the 1st of February. And we have heard from both the blue and white camps that they will probably try and nominate Mr. Han Kuo-yu to be the Speaker of the Legislative Yuan. And what are your views?
The second question had to do with the inauguration is on May the 20th. So there are still four months to go. So what kind of policies would you prioritize until you are inaugurated? And the third question was about your thoughts for these past few months.
And President-elect Lai answered, number one, the clearest message from the Taiwanese people during this election cycle is that they want a competent government, but also a very strong check and balance. So as the President, of course, we need to respect. It is our responsibility to respect the opinions of the Taiwanese people.
Therefore, we will form an open and transparent government and I will continue to communicate, exchange ideas, and involve the opposition parties and cooperate with them to solve the major issues. For the second question, of course, I'm only going to be inaugurated on the 20th of May, but now I'm still the Vice President. So there are jobs to do. And of course, I will fulfill those obligations. But also, as the President-elect, I think my priority would be finding the talents that would help me form the best government to serve the Taiwanese people.
- [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
INTERPRETER: Because of time constraints, our press conference now concluded. This is the first time in Taiwan's history a political party has received three terms in office. Following this event, our next President and Vice President, Lai Chang-te and Hsiao Bi-khim will lead members of the campaign to deliver their victory marks to the nation. Thank you all for participating in this press conference.
- [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
