'Stop threatening Taiwan', its new president William Lai tells China

Taiwan's newly inaugurated president, William Lai, has urged China to stop threatening the island and accept the existence of its democracy. He called for Beijing to replace confrontation with dialogue shortly after being sworn in on Monday. Lai emphasized that Taiwan would never back down in the face of intimidation from China, which has long claimed the island as its own. China responded by stating that Taiwan independence is a dead end. Beijing dislikes Lai and his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which they see as pro-independence. They have ramped up military incursions around Taiwan's waters and airspace since his election win in January, triggering fears of conflict. In his speech, Lai called this the greatest strategic challenge to global peace and stability. He reiterated that he would not do anything to change the status quo, but emphasized the need for Taiwan to further strengthen its defenses. Taiwan's former president, Tsai Ing-wen, believed that strengthening defense and earning the support of key allies such as the US and Japan was key to deterring China's plans of invasion. Taiwan has purchased new battle tanks, upgraded its fleet of F-16 fighter jets, and bought new ones, and has built and launched a fleet of new missile ships to patrol the 100-mile Taiwan strait. Taiwan's own allies are watching closely to see if his rhetoric is likely to aggravate tensions further. Mr. Lai also faces big challenges at home, including unemployment and a divided parliament. The bitter dispute and the protests that followed marred Mr. Lai's address. But how he deals with Beijing will be the biggest question that will determine his presidency.