KUALA LUMPUR – Newly minted Taiwan president Lai Ching-te is set to be a thorn in the side of China’s unification plans as Beijing has already branded him a “dangerous choice”.
Aside from being a staunch supporter of Taiwan’s self-rule and independence, what else is known about the 64-year-old politician?
Modest upbringing
When Lai was just five-months-old, his father died on January 8, 1960 of carbon monoxide poisoning while working in the coal mines of Wanli – a rural coastal town in northern Taipei County.
So, he was raised by his mother alongside five other siblings.
As for Lai’s family life, he married Wu Mei-ju in 1986 and the couple has two sons.
Doctor turned politician
After receiving a bachelor of science from National Taiwan University’s department of physical medicine and rehabilitation, Lai completed his post-bachelor in medical science at National Cheng Kung University.
In 2003, he obtained a master of public health from Harvard University. He also served as chief resident at National Cheng Kung University Hospital.
His foray into politics started in 1994 after being chosen as the head of a Tainan physicians’ association supporting a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate for governor.
Staunch democrat
In an op-ed he wrote in The Wall Street Journal last July, Lai said his “defining moment came as China’s military adventurism… threatened our shores with live-fire exercises and missiles”.
“I decided I had a duty to participate in Taiwan’s democracy and help protect this fledgling experiment from those who wished it harm.”
During his campaign for office, Lai reiterated that Taiwan was already independent, and that sovereignty should not be made a trade for economic prosperity.
“Peace without sovereignty is just like Hong Kong. It is a false peace.”
Also on his resume
In 1998, Lai was elected to the Legislative Yuan representing Tainan City, subsequently, Tainan citizens elected him for four consecutive terms (1999-2010).
During his tenure, Lai was part of a lobby group promoting Taiwan’s World Health Organisation membership, making seven trips to 22 countries including South Korea, Japan, the United States and European Union member states.
By 2010, Lai had built a reputation for being honest, diligent and efficient. Running for re-election in 2014, he garnered 72.9% of the vote, the highest in Tainan history, and the highest for any county or city head since the lifting of martial law in 1987.
Lai served as Taiwan’s premier from 2017 to 2019. By November 2019, then-president Tsai Ing-wen invited Lai to be her running mate for the 2020 election. The Tsai-Lai ticket garnered a record-high 8.17 million votes.
In February 2020, Lai was invited to the 68th National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC, becoming the highest-ranking official from Taiwan to attend since official diplomatic relations were severed 41 years ago. In January 2023, Lai was made DPP chairman. – January 13, 2024