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Topping headlines this past week was the inauguration of Tsai Ing-wen as Taiwan’s new president.
Tsai is Taiwan’s fourth directly elected president and the first woman to hold the office. She took the oath of office shortly after 9:00 am Friday local time at the Presidential Office in Taipei. The office’s website streamed the ceremony live.
Chen Chien-jen was then sworn in as the new vice president.
Tsai Ing-wen, the chairperson of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won January’s presidential election by a landslide, beating the Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Eric Chu. The DPP also won its first parliamentary majority in legislative elections held the same day. With Tsai’s inauguration, Taiwan now has a DPP president and a DPP-controlled legislature for the first time.
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Also this past week, President Tsai Ing-wen said her government respects the understanding reached between representatives of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait in 1992. Tsai was speaking in her inaugural address after taking the oath of office on Friday morning.
Under the controversial tacit agreement known as the “1992 Consensus,” both sides agree that there is only “one China,” though each may have its own interpretation of what that constitutes.
Tsai said both Taiwan and China should uphold the status quo and the results of 20 years of interactions and negotiations since 1992.
The president said she will push for cross-strait peace and development based on the “existing realities and political foundations.”
The president also urged China to “set aside the baggage of history” and engage in positive dialogue with Taiwan.
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And finally, this past week, Taiwan’s new premier, Lin Chuan, took office on Friday. Lin thanked Taiwan’s public for their support and said the new government will work hard to build an economy based on creativity.
Lin said he understands that many companies are not optimistic about the current investment climate in Taiwan. He said the Tsai Ing-wen administration aims to base its economy on the IT sector, pharmaceutical biotechnology, green energy, intelligent robotics, and national defense.
Lin said the new government will be proactive in signing free trade agreements with other nations and in joining regional economic associations. He said the aim is to better integrate Taiwan with the global economy and improve people’s incomes.