At first light, Taiwan’s top politicians gather for the raising of the nation’s flag and bring hope of cross-party cooperation.
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As the flag was being raised on New Year’s Day, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) are seen side by side singing along to the national anthem. After singing, Lai is seen shaking hands with Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜).
During Lai’s 2025 New Year’s Address, he took the initiative to discuss the impact of governmental disputes, such as the dissension over amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) that were passed by a coalition between the KMT and TPP.
Regarding the deadlock between the ruling and opposing parties, Lai stressed that the president’s job is to unite parties, and revealed plans to overcome differences with Han over coffee.
Lai additionally brought up the potential threat the nation faces with over 100,000 Taiwanese citizens obtaining Chinese identity cards, creating a potential national security loophole. He stated that free things are often the most expensive, and expressed hopes that China can communicate and cooperate with Taiwan without resorting to such methods.