New president Lai vows to defend Taiwan's democracy

Taipei (AFP) May 20, 2024

New Taiwan President Lai Ching-te on Monday vowed to defend the island's democracy, as he called on China to end its military intimidation of the self-ruled island. Beijing, which has in the past branded Lai as a "dangerous separatist", responded hours later saying that "Taiwan independence is a dead end". In his inauguration speech, Lai directly addressed the threat of war following ye