Taiwan’s Presidential Election

       Lai Ching-te Is Elected Who Is Lai? Why the Election Matters The Loss of an Ally

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       Who Is Lai Ching-te, Taiwan’s Next President?

       A former doctor with a humble background, Mr. Lai is seen as more attuned to the mood of Taiwan’s people than to the perilous nuances of dealing with Beijing.

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       President-elect Lai Ching-te has been described as a skilled, hard-working leader attuned to sentiment in Taiwan. Credit...Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times

       By Chris Buckley, Amy Chang Chien and John Liu

       The Times interviewed 20 longtime supporters, colleagues, critics and observers of Mr. Lai to better understand him.

       Jan. 14, 2024

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       In 2014, when Lai Ching-te was a rising political star in Taiwan, he visited China and was quizzed in public about the most incendiary issue for leaders in Beijing: his party’s stance on the island’s independence.

       His polite but firm response, people who know him say, was characteristic of the man who was on Saturday elected president and is now set to lead Taiwan for the next four years.

       Mr. Lai was addressing professors at the prestigious Fudan University in Shanghai, an audience whose members, like many mainland Chinese, almost certainly believed that the island of Taiwan belongs to China.

       Mr. Lai said that while his Democratic Progressive Party had historically argued for Taiwan’s independence — a position that China opposes — the party also believed that any change in the island’s status had to be decided by all its people. His party was merely reflecting, not dictating, opinion, he said. The party’s position “had been arrived at through a consensus in Taiwanese society,” Mr. Lai said.

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       Chris Buckley, the chief China correspondent for The Times, reports on China and Taiwan from Taipei, focused on politics, social change and security and military issues. More about Chris Buckley

       Amy Chang Chien covers news in mainland China and Taiwan. She is based in Taipei. More about Amy Chang Chien

       John Liu covers China and technology for The Times, focusing primarily on the interplay between politics and technology supply chains. He is based in Seoul. More about John Liu

       A version of this article appears in print on Jan. 15, 2024, Section A, Page 9 of the New York edition with the headline: Taiwan’s New Leader: A Doctor-Turned-Politician With a Feisty Streak . Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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