This live blog will be closing shortly. Here is our full story on today’s inauguration:
Here are some more photographs from today:
Taiwanese fighter jets flew in formation over Taipei after Lai’s speech.
At the end of the ceremony, Lai and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim, formerly Taiwan‘s de facto ambassador to the United States, led the crowd in a sing-along to pop songs as they danced onstage with the other performers.
Lai wore a purple tie, representing a butterfly native to Taiwan, and a yellow pin on his lapel of mustard flowers, a common plant in fields across the island.
He received seals symbolising his presidential power from the parliament speaker, including the seal of Republic of China and the seal of honour, both brought to Taiwan after the Republican government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing the Chinese civil war to Mao Zedong’s Communists.
Late Sunday, widely read state-backed Chinese newspaper the Global Times said Lai could become “more and more provocative” once he takes office, Reuters reports.
“So in the long term, the state of cross-straits relations will not be optimistic,” it said in an online commentary.
Summary
Here is a summary of today’s inauguration:
Lai Ching-te has been sworn in as Taiwan’s new president, saying the future of Taiwan is as important to the world as it is to Taiwan’s people, as China ramps up military and political pressure on Taipei. Lai is a staunch defender of the island’s democracy and in the past has described himself as a “pragmatic worker for Taiwan independence”.
In his first address as president, Lai mentioned “democracy” 31 times, emphasising the difference between Taiwan and China, where the authoritarian government has vowed to annex the self-ruled archipelago and bring it under Communist rule.
Lai urged China to cease its hostile actions in the Taiwan strait and help Taiwan to maintain peace in the region. “Mutual benefits and prosperous coexistence would be common goals … I hope that China will face the reality of the ROC’s existence,” he said to applause.
“The future we decide is not just the future of our nation, but the future of the world,” he said, referencing not just geopolitical security but also Taiwan’s importance as one of the world’s larger economies and supplier of most of the world’s crucial advanced semiconductors.
“I think it is apparent to us all, we have a nation so long as we have sovereignty,” Lai said. “The Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other,” he said, to cheers from the crowd. “No-one should entertain the idea of giving up political sovereignty in exchange for power,” he says.
China has called Lai, 64, a “dangerous separatist” who will bring “war and decline” to the island. China claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory.
Meanwhile Chinese social media platform Weibo has blocked a hashtag featuring Lai’s name, a notice on the website showed Monday. “According to relevant laws, regulations, and policies, the content of this topic has not been displayed,” a search for the hashtag LaiChing-te on the X-like Weibo showed around 10.40 am.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Lai, saying he looked forward to Washington and Taipei deepening ties and maintaining “peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.” He added, “We also congratulate the Taiwan people for once again demonstrating the strength of their robust and resilient democratic system.”
China’s ministry of commerce announced three US weapons manufacturers have been added to its list of “unreliable entities” over their supply of arms to Taiwan. The companies, Boeing Defense Space and Security, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems, are banned from importing or exporting with China, holding investments inside China and senior executives are banned from entering China or applying for entry or resident permits.
The inauguration celebrations were cheerful and bright, featuring dancing tigers, bird puppets, cheerleaders, baseball players, trick bikes, traditional dancing, Hip Hop, breakdancing, heavy metal, a giant blue horse, dragons, an inflatable globe and dancing snacks.
Tsai Ing-wen, 67, stepped down as Taiwan’s president on Monday. On Wednesday, Tsai appeared on television with Nymphia Wind, who recently won the 16th season of the US reality show RuPaul’s Drag Race, and who thanked Tsai for “all these years of making Taiwan the first in so many things”. Tsai took office as the first female president in 2016. Since then, Taiwan has become the first place in Asia to legalise gay marriage. Government statistics suggest that it is doing better than anywhere else in Asia in terms of gender equality. Her first term saw increases in the minimum wage and a boost in funding for childcare.
Ahead of Lai’s inauguration, Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office, which handles cross-strait issues, called “Taiwan independence and peace in the strait … like water and fire”. China has called Lai, 64, a “dangerous separatist” who will bring “war and decline” to the island. Beijing has long threatened to use force to bring Taiwan under its control – especially if the island declares independence – with Xi upping the rhetoric of “unification” being “inevitable”.
We will bring you a summary of Lai’s speech soon, as well as analysis.
In the meantime here is a (blurry) photograph of Lai, vice president Hsiao Bi-khim and others dancing on stage with today’s performers:
Lai Ching-te said that peace is the only option and Taiwan will make no concessions on democracy and freedom, calling on China to stop its military and political threats.
China should jointly shoulder the responsibility with Taiwan to ensure peace, so that the world is without the fear of war breaking out, Lai said in his inauguration speech:
Updated
In first speech as Taiwan president Lai Ching-te mentions democracy 31 times
Lai Ching-te has been sworn in as Taiwan’s new president, saying the future of Taiwan is as important to the world as it is to Taiwan’s people, as China ramps up military and political pressure on Taipei, the Guardian’s Helen Davidson and Chi Hui Lin report:
In his first address as president, Lai mentioned “democracy” 31 times, emphasising the difference between Taiwan and China, where the authoritarian government has vowed to annex the self-ruled archipelago and bring it under Communist rule.
Lai urged China to cease its hostile actions in the Taiwan strait and help Taiwan to maintain peace in the region.
“Mutual benefits and prosperous coexistence would be common goals … I hope that China will face the reality of the ROC’s existence,” he said to applause.
“The future we decide is not just the future of our nation, but the future of the world,” he said, referencing not just geopolitical security but also Taiwan’s importance as one of the world’s larger economies and supplier of most of the world’s crucial advanced semiconductors.
Lai’s government will concentrate on five key industries, he said: semiconductors; AI; the military; security and surveillance; and next generation communications.
Tonight, Lai will preside over a banquet for more than 1,000 guests.
Foreign Policy has written an in-depth piece on tonight’s menu, which was designed by the Taipei food writer Elizabeth Kao.
Kao has designed a menu with dishes and ingredients representing Taiwan’s five main ethnic subgroups: Indigenous, Hoklo, Hakka, Chinese mainlanders, and Southeast Asians.
When she got the call in January to ask if she could attend, she didn’t expect that she would be asked to design a menu for 1,000 guests, the magazine reports.
“He told me I was going to make the menu. I was shocked,” Kao told Foreign Policy.
Here is what is in store:
As Kao’s team prepared the menu, they narrowed in on ingredients unique to each of these cultures. For the first course, for example, they opted for an array of seasonal vegetables, including Makino bamboo, chayote squash shoots, and lily bulbs, plated over a streak of sauces that represent Taiwan’s ethnic subgroups: te’nas, an Indigenous chili saltwater dip; Dongquan chili sauce, a Hoklo-style hot sauce; a sweet Hakka kumquat jam; fermented tofu paste, brought over by Chinese mainlanders; and satay sauce, a nod to Southeast Asian immigrants.
And there is even a dish said to represent Xi Jinping –bubble tea and shrimp fried rice. Here is a report from the menu tasting:
Then the unexpected happened. As the seventh course arrived, the room suddenly erupted in cheers. “Bubble tea!” Kuo exclaimed. Servers carried in shrimp rice and the iconic Taiwanese beverage, sourced directly from two popular eateries in Tainan. It was essentially takeout on a plate—a jolting deviation from the intricately composed dishes that preceded it. The bubble tea, which came with fat black straws, looked almost cartoonish.
A special request from the president-elect, the course was rumored by the team to be a nod to Chinese President Xi Jinping. In a television interview last summer, Lai said that if he ever had the opportunity to dine with Xi in Taiwan, he’d order shrimp fried rice and a cup of bubble tea.
To recap: Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, who has just been sworn in, said on Monday that peace is the only option and Taiwan will make no concessions on democracy and freedom, calling on China to stop its military and political threats.
China should jointly shoulder the responsibility with Taiwan to ensure peace to ensure the world is without the fear of war breaking out, Lai said at his inauguration speech.
“We in Taiwan must all demonstrate confidence and bravely set course for the new world so that the world may embrace Taiwan,” says Lai.
Referring to ‘Mother Taiwan’, he ends by calling on all citizens to “protect her, honour her, let the world embrace her, and allow her the respect she deserves as a great nation”.
'The ROC and the PRC are not subordinate to each other', says Lai
“I think it is apparent to us all, we have a nation so long as we have sovereignty,” he says.
“The Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other,” he says, to cheers from the crowd.
“No-one should entertain the idea of giving up political sovereignty in exchange for power,” he says.
Updated
More of Lai’s comments on China below:
I hope that China will face up to the fact of the existence of the Republic of China, respect the choice of the Taiwanese people, show its sincerity, and cooperate with Taiwan’s democratically elected and legitimate government under the principles of reciprocity and dignity, replacing confrontation with dialogue, and exchanges with encirclement, starting with the resumption of bilateral reciprocal sightseeing and tourism, as well as the entry of students to study in Taiwan, so that we can work together in the pursuit of peace and co-prosperity.
His statements are significant, says Guardian Taiwan correspondent Helen Davidson:
This is a significant statement from Lai and something that Beijing and others were looking for. Beijing cut off formal communications with the Taiwan government when Tsai first got took office in 2016. Lai is calling for bilateral cooperations to restart, including reciprocal tourism. It gets a big cheer. Many people in Taiwan have social and business ties with China and would like a return to friendly interactions, even though they do not want unification.
There are still restrictions on Chinese tourists coming to Taiwan (and vice versa), but Lai appears to be saying it has to happen under certain conditions of “dignity and equivalence”. He doesn’t define what that means.
If he’s suggesting that the PRC needs to recognise the sovereignty of the ROC before he will lift the tourism restriction, that’s unlikely to happen.
Updated
Lai’s government will concentrate on five key industries, he says: semiconductors; AI; the military; security and surveillance; and next generation communications.
Weibo blocks Lai hashtag
Meanwhile Chinese social media platform Weibo has blocked a hashtag featuring the name of Taiwan’s new President Lai Ching-te, a notice on the website showed Monday.
“According to relevant laws, regulations, and policies, the content of this topic has not been displayed,” a search for the hashtag LaiChing-te on the X-like Weibo showed around 10.40 am.
It wasn’t immediately clear when the hashtag was blocked, and search results for Lai’s name still yielded results.
A hashtag bearing the name of outgoing Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen was also blocked.
And another, “Taiwan 520 new authorities take office”, was removed.
Weibo often blocks hashtags deemed politically sensitive to prevent them from trending on the platform, used by hundreds of millions in China.
During Taiwan’s presidential election in January, the platform blocked a hashtag on the poll after it became one of the site’s top-trending topics.
But there has been scant mention of Lai’s inauguration in China’s state-run media, with neither state broadcaster CCTV nor ruling party organ People’s Daily featuring coverage on their home pages as of 11 am Monday.
“The future we decide is not just the future of our nation, but the future of the world,” says Lai. He is referring not just to Taiwan’s democracy, but its exports and the global economy.
“Taiwan needs the world, just as the world needs Taiwan,” says Lai. He is now talking about semiconductors, and AI.
Among the small crowd of witnesses at Lai’s swearing-in were Morris Chang, the founder of TSMC, the leading semiconductor manufacturer which is makes most of the world’s highest grade chips and is responsible for a significant portion of Taiwan’s GDP.
‘China’s threats to annex Taiwan will not simply disappear’, says Lai
“So long as China refuses to renounce the use of force against Taiwan, all of us in Taiwan should accept… China’s threats to annex Taiwan will not simply disappear,” says Lai.
Updated
Lai calls on China to help maintain peace in Taiwan strait
Lai calls for China to cease its actions in the Taiwan strait and help Taiwan to maintain peace in the strait.
“Mutual benefits and prosperous coexistence would be common goals,” he says. “I hope that China will face the reality of the ROC’s existence,” he says, and pauses for cheers.
Updated
'Peace and security on the Taiwan strait are indispensable', says Lai
“There is already a strong international consensus that peace and security on the Taiwan strait are indispensable to global security and prosperity,” says Lai.
“Peace is the only option,” he says, “And prosperity gained through lasting peace is our motivation,” he says.
His government are “pilots for peace”. They will “maintain the status quo”.
Lai wants to allow Taiwan to become the, “MVP of the democratic world”, referring to the slang “Most Valuable Player”.
“War has no winners,” he says.
Updated
Lai hails Taiwan's democracy as its link to the rest of the world
“Democracy, peace and prosperity form Taiwan’s national roadmap, and they are also our link to the rest of the world,” says Lai. “We have grown to become one of th world’s most vibrant democracies,” he says. “Taiwan was the first country in Asia to legalise same sex marriage.”
“Taiwan is already a global beacon, and this honour belongs to all the people of Taiwan.”
Updated
More on those comments from the Guardian’s Helen Davidson and Chi Hui Lin:
Lai is making a point of saying parliamentarians are elected by the people. He says it’s the first time Taiwan has three major parties in parliament, and all are elected by the people.
He says they should follow procedures of parliament, and that the majority should respect the minority - this is a very clear reference to the violence and chaos that was on display in Taiwan’s legislature on Friday, which saw one MP injured.
The fact that he is saying this in his inauguration address is perhaps a sign of how biga deal Friday was and how concerned they are about what it predicts for his first term working without a majority in the legislature.
Lai says, “A lack of absolute majority means the ruling and opposition parties are able to share their ideas”, and that they will govern as one.
He says that stability and harmony are important in a democratic society, referring to events on Friday, when lawmakers were set to vote on a controversial new bill. Debate soon turned into a physical brawl.
Lai thanks the outgoing leaders for, “Refusing to be swayed by external forces.”
He speaks of the “dark time” of authoritarian rule in Taiwan, and says that Taiwan is now, and remains, a sovereign nation.
Lai says a third term of a political party is full of challenges. This is the outcome that people had made sacrifices for. He says voters not only welcome the new government, but also the victory of democracy.
Lai, in his first speech as president of Taiwan, starts with a greeting.
“Standing here I am determined to strengthen the nation,” he says. “With an unwavering heart I accepted the responsibility people have entrusted to me.”
President Lai Ching-te’s inaugural address is about to begin.
Lai and Hsiao have arrived on stage at the celebrations. They will now be honoured with a 21-gun salute, ahead of Lai’s speech.
Tsai Ing-wen, the leader who brought Taiwan closer to the US, bows out
In a riot of yellow braids, glitter and spandex, garnished with a huge yellow water lily, Taiwan’s latest global celebrity danced her heart out for the island’s diminutive, softly spoken president, whose mild manners belie her outsized legacy.
Tsai Ing-wen, 67, stepped down as Taiwan’s president on Monday. Before handing over the keys, on Wednesday she welcomed Taiwan’s most famous drag queen, Nymphia Wind, for a live performance in the presidential office. After sashaying to Lady Gaga’s Marry the Night, Nymphia Wind, who recently won the 16th season of the US reality show RuPaul’s Drag Race, thanked Tsai for “all these years of making Taiwan the first in so many things”.
Tsai took office as the first female president in 2016. Since then, Taiwan has become the first place in Asia to legalise gay marriage. Government statistics suggest that it is doing better than anywhere else in Asia in terms of gender equality. Her first term saw increases in the minimum wage and a boost in funding for childcare.
But Tsai’s biggest legacy will be her cultivation of Taiwan’s rising prominence on the world stage, fostering closer relations with the US, even while losing formal diplomatic allies and navigating a tricky relationship with China.
In a social media post on Sunday evening, her final night as president, Tsai thanked Taiwan’s people for giving her eight years in office.
“I walked into the Presidential Office with the belief of reform,” she said.
“Although there were many challenges and tests in the process, we have all witnessed Taiwan’s progress and changes under the belief of making the country better. Thank you all for working with me to create many firsts for Taiwan, allowing freedom, democracy, fairness, justice, respect and tolerance to take root in this land, writing history for Taiwan, and promoting the country’s overall development.
“I have said that my term will end on [20 May], but our country will continue to move forward. If I had to leave a message to Taiwan, I would say that I hope Taiwan is a united Taiwan.”
Here is Blinken’s full statement:
The United States congratulates Dr. Lai Ching-te on his inauguration as Taiwan’s fifth democratically elected president. We also congratulate the Taiwan people for once again demonstrating the strength of their robust and resilient democratic system.
The partnership between the American people and the Taiwan people, rooted in democratic values, continues to broaden and deepen across trade, economic, cultural, and people-to-people ties.
The United States commends President Tsai Ing-wen for strengthening ties between the United States and Taiwan over the past eight years.
We look forward to working with President Lai and across Taiwan’s political spectrum to advance our shared interests and values, deepen our longstanding unofficial relationship, and maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
Heads of state, dignitaries and other foreign guests are arriving ahead of Lai’s speech, which will start in just under 15 minutes.
The metal band that just played is called Fire EX. It became famous during Taiwan’s Sunflower Movement protests 10 years ago, the Guardian’s Helen Davidson and Chi Hui Lin report.
A short while ago, the band played a song that they also performed at the DPP’s pre-election rally, at which were many elderly party supporters who probably didn’t have a long history of moshing.
The lyrics include “God please bless me like a Taiwanese” and “let’s stand up, like Taiwanese”.
This Taiwan metal band, Fire EX, playing at the inauguration also played at the DPP’s pre-election rally in January. They were very popular, especially among the elderly party supporters who likely didn’t have a long history of moshing. My face scene from the rally: pic.twitter.com/huDr7WLlhg
— Helen Davidson (@heldavidson) May 20, 2024
Updated
Blinken congratulates Lai
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Taiwan’s newly inaugurated President Lai Ching-te, saying he looked forward to Washington and Taipei deepening ties and maintaining “peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
“We also congratulate the Taiwan people for once again demonstrating the strength of their robust and resilient democratic system,” Blinken said in a statement.
China adds US weapons companies to 'unreliable entities' list over supplies to Taiwan
The Guardian’s Helen Davidson and Chi Hui Lin report that China’s ministry of commerce has just announced three US weapons manufacturers have been added to its list of “unreliable entities”, over their supply of arms to Taiwan.
The companies, Boeing Defense Space and Security, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems, are banned from importing or exporting with China, holding investments inside China and senior executives are banned from entering China or applying for entry or resident permits.
Such an announcement is not overly surprising – it’s expected that Beijing would have some sort of reactions to today’s inauguration, which it strongly objects to. It had also criticised foreign governments like the UK and Australia for sending delegations to the event. No country except those which are formally allied with Taiwan have sent heads of state or ministers to the event. The guests are mostly made up of parliamentary delegations, or groups of people adjacent to government.
The Guardian’s Helen Davidson and Chi Hui Lin report on the attendees at the swearing in ceremony earlier:
Among the small crowd of witnesses at Lai’s swearing-in were Morris Chang, the founder of TSMC, the leading semiconductor manufacturer which is makes most of the world’s highest grade chips and is responsible for a significant portion of Taiwan’s GDP.
After the formalities they and Tsai went outside to greet the thousands of delegates and members of the public gathered for the ceremony. Tsai shook the hands of the incoming team, in front of a screened message thanking “Xiao Ing” (a nickname for Tsai meaning “little Ing”) for her service.
In the VIP section of the ceremony sat more than 600 people in delegations from multiple countries including 11 of Taiwan’s 12 diplomatic allies, and key international friends including the UK, US, Japan and Australia. Among the American delegation is the former secretary of state Mike Pompeo.
Most of the delegates attended a formal reception last night with Lai, VP Hsiao, and the outgoing foreign minister Joseph Wu. Lai told the crowd that today’s “peaceful transfer of power” was a milestone for Taiwan’s young democracy. He welcomed the delegates and said he hoped he could continue to count on their help to have Taiwan be a “force of stability in the region” and to increase its international participation.
Taipei has been buzzing with preparation in recent days - airforce planes and helicopters have been practising flybys over the city for the aerial formation show expected later this morning to congratulate Lai.
Between speeches the crowd was treated to an array of Taiwanese dance performances ranging from traditional opera to hip hop.
Here are some more photos from the celebrations so far. Lai’s first speech as president is expected to start in just over half an hour.
For his swearing-in, Lai wore a purple tie, representing a butterfly native to Taiwan, and a yellow pin on his lapel of mustard flowers, a common plant in fields across the island.
He received two seals symbolising his presidential power from the parliament speaker, the seal of Republic of China and the seal of honour, both brought to Taiwan after the Republican government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing the Chinese civil war to Mao Zedong’s Communists.
Updated
Some people in Taiwan are still wary of Lai’s independence-leaning past. And he has inherited cost of living and other domestic issues. In Taipei, an ardently pro-DPP taxi driver says he was a huge fan of Tsai. He thinks Lai is “not bad”.
The wariness among even party diehards is just one of the challenges Lai faces. Beijing is “bound to launch cognitive warfare” over the fact that he won the presidency with just 40.5% of the three-way vote, says Professor Shen Yu-Chung at the department of political science at Tunghai University. His party also lost control of the legislature. “The DPP’s lack of a majority in parliament will definitely undermine Lai’s presidency,” says Fell. “I am not sure whether either [opposition party] is interested in collaborative policy making.”
Lai’s minority win is something of a setback for a politician more used to high popularity. The campaign attacks did some damage. The “illegal” house accusations painted him as a kind of elite landlord flouting the laws – something Luo says insulted the whole village.
Back in Wanli, one group of tourists take selfies outside the door. The property is not as upmarket as they were led to believe but they think the criticism of Lai was fair. Ben, from Taipei, tells the Guardian there are houses all over Taiwan that fall into legal grey areas, including his own. “But I’m not the president.”
Lai’s KMT rival, Hsieh, is warily withholding judgment. Hsieh says Taiwan should “give Lai a chance”.
“Lai is very stubborn on some things, but there is a lot of compromise.”
A break from these very vibrant celebrations to take a closer look at Lai Chin-te:
As chief resident at NCKU hospital, legislator, and then mayor of Tainan, Lai developed a reputation for being a perfectionist, and working his staff hard. In his younger years he could be “aggressive, thumping tables and shouting” during meetings, recalls Wang. “Lai is very stubborn, he always insists on what he believes is correct,” he says.
He drew fame as Tainan mayor for boycotting meetings in protest against corruption, and for his fiery clashes with his long-time political rival, KMT politician Hsieh Long-jie.
In 2017, Lai was appointed premier by President Tsai, but resigned the next year after the DPP suffered widespread defeat in district elections. In early 2019, Lai sought preselection as the DPP’s presidential candidate for the upcoming election, directly challenging Tsai – the first time such an act had been taken against a sitting president in Taiwan’s modern democratic history.
He lost the battle, Tsai won 35.67% of the primaries vote to Lai’s 27.48%, but what could have been a party-damaging rupture was handled swiftly, with Lai invited to run as Tsai’s vice-president, says Fell. “Tsai was very skilful in the way she was able to bring Lai back into the fold and to project the image of a united party in the 2020 campaign.”
The Tsai-Lai ticket won the election with record-breaking support. Four years later, Lai has pledged to continue Tsai’s path, which means a diversion from his past – and possibly current – beliefs.
Tsai moderated the impact of her pro-sovereignty position by advocating for cross-strait relations to be conducted within the framework of Taiwan’s laws and constitution, which hold references to the existence of “one China” of which both China and Taiwan are part. The ambiguity helps keep the peace, analysts have said. But in some public statements, including the presidential debate and political rallies, Lai has revealed scepticism about the concept, and of the constitution.
Our Taiwan correspondent Helen Davidson reports that the horse symbolises strength and moving forward, unstopped by rain and wind.
Next up: a rap performance.
Happening now: tigers, cheerleaders, a scarecrow, dancing delicacies, singing preschoolers, giant birds.
Updated
A, nay (neigh), the giant blue horse has arrived. More on its significance soon.
The horse is blowing smoke from its nostrils and nodding its head slowly along to a musical and dance performance called “Peace and happiness: Resilient Taiwan”.
There are also trick bikes, and what appears to be a praying mantis on stilts.
What is Taiwan’s relationship with the US?
Speaking of baseball, what are US-Taiwan relations like at the moment.
In 2022, the then US house speaker and Democratic party member Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in a trip the Council on Foreign Relations described as heightening tensions between China and the US.
Nancy Pelosi even met with the then president Tsai Ing-wen, with Foreign Policy saying Beijing strongly condemned the visit, reacting by planning military exercises and banning some food imports.
Less than a year later – the then US house speaker Kevin McCarthy met with Tsai Ing-wen in the US, in a visit that also angered China.
This is what the US state department says:
Though the United States does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, we have a robust unofficial relationship. The United States and Taiwan share similar values, deep commercial and economic links, and strong people-to-people ties, which form the bedrock of our friendship and serve as the impetus for expanding US engagement with Taiwan.
The state department goes on to say that the US has a “longstanding one China policy”, and that it “opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side”.
… We do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-Strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.
Thinktank the Council on Foreign Relations says that Beijing has repeatedly urged Washington to stop selling defence equipment to Taiwan and to cease its contact with Taipei.
The Guardian’s Helen Davidson and Chi Hui Lin explain the metal:
Taiwan has a very big metal scene. The Indigenous music is from one of Taiwan’s 16 Aboriginal tribes.
Baseball is also hugely important in Taiwan. Early in the pandemic, when the world was largely shut down, Taiwan’s baseball league was the only professional sport still playing in the whole world.
As a dragon danced around a very large inflatable planet, the announce emphasised Taiwan’s importance to the world.
We’re about to see a performance by dancers known for, the celebration MCs say, “Taking their bodies to the limit to represent the limitless possibilities of the streets,” with Hip Hop and breakdancing which, the announcers point out, will be an Olympic sport this year.
The performance has so far featured traditional costumes, baseball players, dancers wearing butterfly sarongs, what appears to be heavy metal music, and very long dragons on sticks, tunnelling and twisting impressively.
The Guardian’s Helen Davidson and Chi Hui Lin report: the dragons represent the four Asian dragons – the four countries in Asia which have had huge economic growth since the 1960s: South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong Kong.
Apologies, we have just learned that outgoing president Tsai Ing-wen will not be making an address after all. We’ll continue to bring you updates and analysis in the meantime. Lai Ching-te will be speaking at 11.10 local time, or in just over an hour.
Stay tuned for details on the meanings behind tonight’s state banquet, more on Tsai’s legacy, and performances from the National Nantou Senior High School and JingMei Tug-of-War teams.
Back now to tensions between Taiwan and China. Taiwan has also been making some military moves.
Foreign Policy recently reported that Taiwan is looking to buy weaponry known as “suicide drones” from the US, in a sign it says that the territory is bowing to a US push to acquire munitions that could ward off a Chinese invasion.
Reuters has also reported that the US and Taiwan navies conducted joint drills in the Pacific in April that, officially, did not take place. Four people briefed on the matter told Reuters the drills had taken place as the two militaries boost cooperation.
And in 2022 we reported on a $1.1bn arms sale to Taiwan by the Biden administration.
The sale included $355m for Harpoon air-to-sea missiles and $85m for Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, the state department said.
A brief history
The Chinese government claims Taiwan as a province of China and has not ruled out taking it by force.
At the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, the losing Kuomintang government fled to the island of Taiwan, establishing the Republic of China (ROC) government in exile. On the mainland the Chinese Communist party (CCP) established the People’s Republic of China.
From the 1970s onwards many nations began switching their formal ties from the ROC to Beijing, and today fewer than 15 world governments recognise the ROC (Taiwan) as a country.
The CCP has never ruled over Taiwan and since the end of the civil war Taiwan has enjoyed de facto independence.
Since its decades-long period of martial law ended in the 1980s, Taiwan has also grown to become a vibrant democracy with free elections and media.
But unification is a key goal of the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping. The island’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, has said Taiwan is already a sovereign country with no need to declare independence, but Beijing regards Taiwan’s democratically elected government as separatists.
Under Xi’s rule, aggression towards Taiwan has increased and analysts believe the threat of invasion is at its highest in decades.
In recent years the People’s Liberation Army has sent hundreds of war planes into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone, as part of greatly increased “grey zone” activities, which are combat-adjacent but do not meet the threshold of war.
Taiwan is working to modernise its military and is buying large numbers of military assets and weapons from the US in the hope it can deter Xi and the CCP from making a move. Helen Davidson
Guests are now being treated to a performance by traditional dancers and acrobats. The Guardian’s Helen Davidson and Chi Hui Lin report:
This is a traditional opera dance inviting gods to give blessings to the new president. This sort of dance is often seen in the many temples (Buddhist and Taoist) spread across Taiwan.
Updated
Lai will build on Tsai’s efforts to strengthen ties with the US, which doesn’t formally recognize Taiwan as a country but is bound by its own laws to provide the island with the means to defend itself.
During Tsai’s tenure, Taiwan became the first society in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, though critics say she skirted political responsibility by leaving the decision up to the Supreme Court and a series of referendums.
She oversaw a controversial pension and labor reform and extended the military conscription length to one year. She also kickstarted a military modernisation drive, including a program for building indigenous submarines at more than $16bn each.
Tsai’s leadership during the pandemic split public opinion, with most admiring Taiwan’s initial ability to keep the virus largely outside its borders but criticising the lack of investment in rapid testing as the pandemic progressed.
We’re expecting outgoing president Tsai Ing-wen to make a speech shortly, though things appear to be running slightly behind schedule.
On Friday we got a sign of how combative Lai’s first term may be domestically.
While Lai won the presidency, the DPP lost its majority in the legislature. The new legislature took office soon after the election, and on Friday were set to vote on a controversial new bill but debate soon turned into a physical brawl.
The bill is a parliamentary reform measure, and includes provisions which the DPP says will constrain the administration. Legal scholars have said the bill – which would allow the prosecution of literally anyone who refuses to appear before the legislature for questioning to be jailed for up to three years for the vaguely define “contempt of congress – is likely unconstitutional. But opposition parties the Kuomintang and the Taiwan People’s Party, have tried to push it through, including using methods which critics have called undemocratic.
Opposing legislators fought to take control of the rostrum, with people climbing over chairs, tables and each other to occupy the seat, jostling and shoving each other while KMT speaker Han Kuo-yu looked on. Over the melee, KMT legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin blasted out the national anthem on a plastic recorder.
Puma Shen, a former civil society figure who is a newly appointed MP, took a nasty fall over a crowd and a table. He was taken to hospital, and later released with what he said was a bad concussion.
Later that evening, as fighting continued inside, pro-DPP protesters gathered at the gate. There are more protests planned for this week. It will be interesting to see if this issue escalates, driven by the deep political divisions here.
Brawling in Taiwan’s parliament is not unheard of, in fact it’s notorious for it. Previous fights have including legislators throwing pig guts across the floor over an argument about US pork imports. But this one saw some serious injuries, and the – complicated – dispute behind it doesn’t bode well for a sense of parliamentary unity at such a tense time for Taiwan.
We’re expecting Lai to make his first speech as president at 11.10 local time, in just under two hours. He is expected to express goodwill towards Beijing, and call for both sides of the Taiwan Strait to pursue peace, a senior official briefed on the matter told Reuters.
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As Lai signs appointment decrees for the Premier, Secretary-General to the President, and National Security Council Secretary-General, the defence forces are performing for guests, marching with flags and saluting with guns.
More now from the Guardian’s Helen Davidson and Chi Hui Lin:
As the very formal handover was conducted, the screen behind the leaders was filled with emojis and the message “Thank you President Xiao Ing”, using a nickname for the outdoing president, Taiwan’s first female president, Tsai Ing-wen, “Little Ing”.
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Beijing has a lot on its plate, but it’s not letting any slights go unpunished.
On Wednesday China’s Taiwan Affairs Office announced it would be punishing five Taiwanese political commentators – and their families – for “spreading rumours to smear the mainland”.
According to the spokesman, Chen Binhua said the offenders had disregarded the facts of China’s development and progress, and had been deliberately fabricating rumours which “often fuelled netizens’ antagonism” on both sides of the Strait.
Among the egregious falsehoods Chen accused Edward Huang, head of the Democratic Progressive Party’s Central Executive Committee, of mocking mainland residents for not being able to afford pickled vegetables, and TV pundit Wang Yi-chuan of claiming there are no backrests on China’s high-speed trains.
The five commentators are in Taiwan, and the undefined punishments are likely to be largely symbolic in effect.
Lai Ching-te officially takes office
Outside the president’s office, where the crowd is watching this part of the ceremony on a large screen, there is a standing ovation and cheers from the crowd as Lai is formally declared president of the Republic of China.
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Two very short statements from the new leaders - Lai took the oath of office, and Hsiao pledged to uphold the constitution. They are now being presented with the seal of the Republic of China.
Meanwhile outside the president’s office, the controversial new speaker of the legislature – opposition MP Han Kuo-yu – has arrived. There is some very light booing from the crowd (Han will have few fans here).
Lai and Hsiao sworn in
Lai has been sworn in, and his vice-president, Hsiao Bi-khim, is being sworn in now.
She describes herself as a “cat-warrior”: A political veteran, Hsiao, 52, came up with her own nickname when she was sent to Washington – with her four cats – in 2020.
The moniker was her response to Beijing’s aggressive “wolf warrior” style diplomacy, which was becoming increasingly combative at that time. Like a cat, Taiwan’s diplomacy would be agile, flexible and comfortable in narrow spaces, she said. The animals are lovable but also independent.
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Guests bowed towards a large portrait of Sun Yat Sen, the National father of the Republic of China. Lai then took to the stage to bow, too.
The national anthem has just finished, and the guests have taken a bow.
The Guardian’s Helen Davidson and Chi Hui Lin are at the inauguration in Taipei. They have this report:
It is a sea of bucket hats outside the Presidential Office.
Thousands of people are taking their seats ahead of the ceremony, picking up gift bags containing inauguration memorabilia including a promotional hat.
People are excited, taking photos in front of the stage. In the general seating area it’s a mix of community groups and citizens who got tickets from a foreign ministry lottery.
Mrs Zhang, a invited guest, said she feels the audience today all, “feel the same way – rational”. She feels relaxed and a relief to give the country to Lai. She and her husband traveled in from Hsinchu, a few counties over.
There are road closures for blocks around the area, and security is very heavy. All attendees must pass through metal detectors and bag searches. Media had to arrive early this morning. As well as the usual local crews and correspondents based here there are dozens of outlets who have flown in for the event.
In the VIP section there are more than 600 people in delegations from multiple countries including 11 of Taiwan’s 12 diplomatic allies, and key international friends including the UK, US, Japan and Australia. Among the American delegation is the former secretary of state Mike Pompeo.
Most of the delegates attended a formal reception last night with Lai, VP Hsiao, and the outgoing foreign minister Joseph Wu. Lai told the crowd that today’s “peaceful transfer of power” was a milestone for Taiwan’s young democracy. He welcomed the delegates and said he hoped he could continue to count on their help to have Taiwan be a “force of stability in the region” and to increase its international participation.
Taipei has been buzzing with preparation in recent days - airforce planes and helicopters have been practising flybys over the city for the aerial formation show expected later this morning to congratulate Lai.
There’s also a giant blue horse. We’re not sure what that’s for yet, but it’s been seen before around Taiwan’s national day. The statue - which is about three storeys high, has a rainbow mane and breathes smoke from its nostrils - was created by a local children’s theatre.
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Lai Ching-te to take office
Taiwan’s president-elect Lai Ching-te motorcade has just arrived at the presidential office.
Lai will be sworn into office on Monday, putting him at the helm of the self-ruled island as China ramps up military and political pressure on Taipei.
Lai will officially take over from Tsai Ing-wen, whose eight years in power saw a sharp deterioration in relations with Beijing over its claim to the self-governed island.
When Lai takes office he is expected to express goodwill towards Beijing in his inauguration speech, and call for both sides of the Taiwan Strait to pursue peace, a senior official briefed on the matter told Reuters.
China claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and has called Lai, 64, a “dangerous separatist” who will bring “war and decline” to the island.
Like Tsai, Lai is a staunch defender of the island’s democracy and in the past has described himself as a “pragmatic worker for Taiwan independence”.
Ahead of Lai’s inauguration, Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office, which handles cross-strait issues, called “Taiwan independence and peace in the strait … like water and fire”.
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The ADIZ incursions are part of Beijing’s repertoire of greyzone tactics, designed to intimidate Taiwan and wear out its defences, while normalising a heightened threat level. Other tactics have included economic coercion (suddenly banning imports of Taiwanese pineapples and groupers, for example), cognitive warfare (massive amounts of disinformation directed at Taiwan’s population), and cyber attacks.
On Friday Taiwan’s National Security Bureau revealed the number of cyberattacks on government websites had increased to around 2.5million per day, from around 1million in the lead up to January’s election.
But otherwise the NSB deputy chief Ko Cheng-heng said they had not identified any other irregularities to do with the PLA that could be a warning sign for Taiwan.
Despite Beijing’s strong distaste for Lai, the cross-strait relations temperature does feel lower.
This is at least partly because Beijing “does not want to give the US reason to intervene and it’s trying to appear less provocative”, according to International Crisis Group analyst Amanda Hsiao.
Speaking to a panel on Friday, Hsiao said China appeared to have moved towards different – and less overtly hostile – kinds of pressure. Some, like its recent moves to abandon tacit recognition of sea borders around Taiwan’s Kinmen islands and run coast guard patrols through its waters, are opportunistic.
But they also pose a new dilemma for Taiwan and its allies because they are harder to respond to.
“They’re technically within the rules,” said Hsiao, also noting Beijing’s engineering of Nauru’s diplomatic switch from Taiwan, and its legal but provocative shifting of commercial flight paths to Taiwan’s side of the median line.
It’s harder to respond to because there’s less of a legal basis for Taiwan’s response but also the international community’ response.”
How have tensions between Taiwan and China played out recently?
In the lead up to the inauguration, China ramped up its activity designed to pressure Taiwan, but analysts have generally not been more worried than usual about the level of tensions.
China’s military has for years been flying large numbers of warplanes into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone, and since the Pelosi drills they have been regularly crossing the median line – an act that used to be highly provocative but is now quite common as Beijing seeks to normalised it’s escalatory behaviour.
The number of sorties dropped before the January election, but this week saw those numbers start to climb again. The highest numbers were seen midweek.
On Tuesday all 10 warplanes that flew into the ADIZ crossed the median line and five Navy vessels were detected.
On Wednesday 45 planes and six vessels were detected, with 26 of the aircraft crossing the median line.
On Thursday 27 planes and seven vessels were detected, with 19 planes crossing the line.
The swearing-in ceremony will begin in a few minutes, at 9.00 am local time. We have just heard that Lai Ching-te is on his way to the presidential office building.
The Guardian’s Chi Hui Lin has some more detail on who is in attendance at today’s swearing-in:
Taiwan’s foreign ministry says 508 foreign guests from 51 groups were expected to attend the inauguration.
There are delegations from all 12 of Taiwan’s remaining diplomatic allies including eight heads of the state. Other delegations are attending from the USA, Canada, Singapore, the European Union, the UK, Japan, Australia and Korea.
Taiwan lost 10 of its allies during Tsai Ing-wen’s eight years of presidency. All of them switched to China, which doesn’t allow its allies to recognise both Beijing and Taipei. Nauru was the most recent on to switch, making the shock announcement less than 48 hours after Lai Ching-te was elected in January.
Under Tsai Ing-wen’s governance, Taiwan-China relations reached their lowest point in decades, but at the same time Taiwan-US relations have strengthened, and Taiwan has become more visible in the international community.
Lai is associated with the “deep green” faction, which favours full and recognised independence. In 2017, he described himself as a “pragmatic worker for Taiwan independence”, a quote that has followed him ever since, particularly throughout the recent campaign. It has been used to bolster accusations by the opposition that the DPP government has worsened tensions with China. It’s a line he has since walked back, instead aligning himself with Tsai’s more moderate stance. “We have to be unified, continue to strengthen Taiwan, protect the democratic frontline and ensure Taiwan’s security,” Lai said in April.
Analysts and others who know Lai tell the Guardian they don’t think he has changed his mind, it’s more that he’s seen one of two political realities: that his earlier positions could now put Taiwan in more danger, or that they would be politically unpopular. Some say it’s a bit of both.
“Lai has become more mature in the way he fights,” says Dr Wang Cheng-kun, a former colleague at a hospital where Lai worked.
Dafydd Fell, director of the Centre of Taiwan Studies at Soas University of London says: “He’s a pragmatic politician who like most DPP politicians prioritises maintaining Taiwan’s de facto independence.”
Lai will be fighting on multiple fronts. Beijing despises Lai more than Tsai and the Chinese Communist party will be watching his inauguration speech closely, but analysts say it doesn’t matter much what he says – if they want to react they will find a reason.
“No matter what he says during the inauguration, China will always disagree,” DPP legislator Puma Shen told Reuters.
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Who is Lai Ching-te?
Lai was one of seven children born to a working-class mining family in Wanli, a small hillside village near Taiwan’s north-east coast. His father, Lai Chao-chin, died in a mining accident when Lai was two, leaving his mother to raise them alone in the small house on the mining tenement. In 2023 Lai told Time magazine that the family’s hard life taught him a sense of determination.
That determination has taken him to the top of Taiwan politics. On Monday, Taiwan will celebrate the inauguration of Lai, its fifth president since free and direct elections began after decades of martial law. He will be taking over from Tsai Ing-wen, at a dangerous time in Taiwan’s history, with China’s threats to annex Taiwan growing in scope and seriousness.
Lai is preparing to take over as president of the self-governed island at a time of increased geopolitical danger and intense global scrutiny, but analysts and rivals say Lai is not the kind of leader to shy away from a fight.
They describe the 64-year-old as driven, compassionate and principled, but also stubborn and hot-tempered.
Lai, who served as Tsai’s vice-president faces a combative first term, operating without a majority in Taiwan’s deeply divided legislature.
There are splits inside the ruling Democratic Progressive party (DPP) on multiple domestic issues, and a significant divide exists over the issue of Taiwan independence.
What is Taiwan’s relationship with China?
Here is a refresher on some of what is at stake in Taiwan. At the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, the losing Kuomintang government fled to the island of Taiwan.
Since then, Taiwan has enjoyed de facto independence, growing into a vibrant democracy with free elections and media.
But the Chinese government claims Taiwan as a province of China and has not ruled out taking it by force, with unification a key goal of the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping.
The island’s soon to be former president, Tsai Ing-wen, has said Taiwan is already a sovereign country with no need to declare independence, but Beijing regards Taiwan’s democratically elected government as separatists.
Under Xi’s rule, aggression towards Taiwan has increased and analysts believe the threat of invasion is at its highest in decades.
Read more in our 30 second explainer by our correspondent Helen Davidson:
Welcome and opening summary
It’s 8.35am in Taipei and welcome to our live coverage of Taiwan’s inauguration of a new president, Lai Ching-te. I’m Helen Sullivan and I’ll be with you for the next while.
Lai Ching-te is from the incumbent Democratic Progressive party (DPP) and was elected as the new president in January, ushering in a historic third term in power for the party.
Lai had served as vice-president to Tsai Ing-wen, the current president, in a government that has promoted the idea of a sovereign Taiwan. His victory is seen as a continuation of that policy. Lai comes from a more radical wing of the DPP but has promised to follow Tsai’s approach to balancing the relationships with the US and China.
Shortly after winning the election, Lai said it was a “victory for the community of democracies” around the world. Referring to Beijing’s efforts to have the DPP ousted, Lai said voters had successfully resisted efforts by “external forces” to influence the election.
China had warned before Taiwan’s elections that Lai would bring “war and decline” to the island, making the lead-up to his inauguration a closely watched period, accoding to Agence France-Presse.
We’ll have more in moment but here’s a summary of what we know about Lai Ching-te – the incoming president of Taiwan:
Lai Ching-te , 64, was president Tsai Ing-wen’s chosen successor, having served as vice president from 2019
He is a former public health expert has been in politics since 1996
Lai has long been popular; in 2014 he was re-elected as mayor of Tainan with a record-breaking 72.9% of the vote
January’s national election was his second tilt at the presidency, after he lost a challenge for the nomination to the incumbent Tsai in 2019, instead joining her on the ticket as vice-president
Lai has been described as more “green” (pro-independence) than Tsai, which had prompted some concern about whether a Lai presidency could worsen cross-strait tensions
In 2017 he described himself as a “pragmatic worker for Taiwan independence”, but has since stepped back from the stance, and is now sticking to Tsai’s more cautious formulation on Taiwan – that it is already a sovereign nation with no need to declare independence. “We have to be unified, continue to strengthen Taiwan, protect the democratic frontline and ensure Taiwan’s security,” he said in April.
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