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00:00 In other news, Taiwanese President-elect Lai Ching-tu and his deputy Xiao Bikim took foreign
00:06 dignitaries shrimp fishing ahead of their inauguration on Monday. It's a popular pastime
00:12 among families in Taiwan, especially on weekends. Lai is preparing for the complex challenges
00:17 of the presidency, mainly avoiding a conflict with China, which claims Taiwan as part of
00:25 its own territory. For more on this, we're joined by Rex Lee, Professor of International
00:30 Relations and Research Affiliate at the Lao China Institute and School of Global Affairs
00:34 at King's College London. Thanks for joining us on France 24.
00:39 Thank you.
00:40 So I can't avoid the obligatory bigger fish to fry joke. What are the main challenges
00:45 then that Lai Ching-tu has on his plate apart from shrimp?
00:49 Yes, yes. I think Dr. Lai will face a whole range of challenges in his new term. And I
00:59 think, you know, first of all, I think he will he will reiterate his position that Taiwan
01:04 is a sovereign entity and it is not part of China. And I think he will, you know, he will
01:10 have to preserve Taiwan's distinctive identity and democratic values. And, you know, the
01:18 challenge is, you know, that he needs to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
01:24 But at the same time, at the same time, he has to, you know, he has to convince, convince
01:28 his people that, you know, that that that he's not sort of giving away Taiwan's identity
01:35 or Taiwan's interests. And, you know, the you know, the issue is that, you know, I think
01:43 over 80 percent of the Taiwanese voters want a status quo in, you know, in the Taiwan Strait.
01:51 And you know, the challenge is how to, you know, how to strike a balance between, you
01:58 know, between maintaining the stability, but at the same time, you know, preserve Taiwan's
02:04 own own position vis-a-vis China. So the challenge is great. You know, it is a huge for Lai.
02:12 And we saw there was a chaotic punch up in Taiwan's parliament just last week. What's
02:17 going on there? And how can Lai try to rule without a majority?
02:21 Yes, I think I think I think it is a huge, huge challenge for Lai, you know, because
02:28 of the lack of a majority in Taiwan's parliament. I think he would have to make compromise.
02:36 You know, he needs to work very closely, not only with his own party, party members, you
02:43 know, his politicians, but more importantly, with the opposition parties, especially the
02:49 KMT, the party that has been supporting a closer relationship with China. And I thought
02:56 that's not an easy task. But I guess he you know, he doesn't have a choice because, you
03:03 know, without without the support of other MPs, he would not be able to push through
03:09 his policies, his agenda. And I mean, for one thing, he needs to strengthen Taiwan's
03:15 defense capability. And, you know, and he needs the parliament to, you know, to approve
03:22 his defense budgets. And of course, there's also other issues, mainly domestic issues.
03:31 One thing he would have to do is to convince the voters that he will be able to he will
03:38 be able to, you know, improve the social and economic conditions. And therefore, he would
03:43 have to pass a lot of domestic legislation. And and I think working working close closely
03:50 with opposition leaders, making compromise if when necessary, you know, would be essential
04:00 to to to to success.
04:02 Perhaps you can give us a little bit for those who don't know him a bit of background, where
04:07 where Lai comes from and what experience he draws on.
04:10 Yes, yes. Lai has been been a leading, leading member, leading, leading member of the Democratic
04:18 Progressive Party, the DPP. He has served as the vice president of the previous president,
04:27 Tsai Ing-wen. And, you know, he enjoys a good reputation among party leaders. And he's a
04:36 hardworking politician. And he you know, he you know, I think he he works well with his
04:46 colleagues and also with other other politicians. And and he you know, he has huge experience
04:54 in government. And and he's also a pragmatic politician. You know, he understands the challenges,
05:03 I think. And I think he will be able he will be able to, you know, to to to meet these
05:08 challenges, although obviously they are not they are not easy task to, you know, to to
05:18 deal with.
05:19 All right. Rex Lee of the Lao China Institute, thank you very much for speaking to France
05:22 24.