Taiwan held the inauguration ceremony of its 16th president and vice president on Monday (May 20). Lai Ching-te and Hsiao Meiqin officially took office. Lai Ching-te's inauguration speech expressed the future of Taiwan and the development of cross-strait relations, which is the focus of attention from all walks of life. Zhao Chunshan, an honorary professor at the Institute of Mainland China at Tamkang University in Taiwan, gave his opinions on the cross-strait aspect in former President Tsai Ing-wen’s 2016 inauguration speech. He said that Lai Ching-te's cross-strait statement did not go beyond Tsai Ing-wen's line and expressed the hope that both sides of the strait would maintain the status quo. Zhao Chunshan said that although Lai Qingde’s speech was not provocative, it was significantly different from Tsai Ing-wen’s statement eight years ago.
Zhao Chunshan said: "He did not say anything about his pragmatic Taiwan independence, but you can smell it from inside (the speech). It is looming. This is completely in line with his label of a pragmatic Taiwan independence worker. Regarding the position of the cross-strait position, It's different. In 2016, Tsai Ing-wen really showed her kindness, but unfortunately the opponent didn't catch the ball. Tsai Ing-wen couldn't blame her entirely. Later, the opponent said it was an unfinished answer sheet, but Tsai Ing-wen gradually stopped mentioning it, and then started to mention it. They are not affiliated with each other. If we compare this time, Lai Qingde is not an unfinished answer sheet, but a blank answer sheet. He has taken a step back. "
Commentary: Lai Ching-te's speech was strongly worded, but lacked what Beijing wanted to hear
Chen Fangyu, an assistant professor at the Department of Political Science at Soochow University in Taiwan, said that Lai Ching-te's speech highly continued Tsai Ing-wen's line, but the wording was relatively strong and emphasized values such as so-called value diplomacy and the four persistences, which may not be the position China wants to hear.
Chen Fangyu said: "I think Lai Ching-te used this opportunity to make all the important values very clear. But overall, although he said that he called for peace talks with China, he did not mention the Cross-Strait Relations Regulations. This It’s something softer, or something that China wants us to talk about, so I actually think China will feel quite unhappy when it hears it, and it’s impossible for China to give a good response.”
Comment: How Lai Ching-te balances international cross-strait relations is the key. Beijing will listen to his words and watch his actions.
Zhang Lun, a professor at the University of Cergy-Paris in France, said on this station's program "Asia Wants to Talk" that the key to cross-strait relations lies in Sino-US relations and geopolitics. Lai Qingde stated that Taiwan will strengthen its relationship with the world. He believes that Beijing "listens to its Watch what you say and what you do” is the key point.
Zhang Lun said: "As a so-called pragmatic Taiwan independence worker, I believe that he will make some efforts in the so-called pragmatic aspect to weaken the hostility and suspicion from the mainland and Beijing towards his promotion of Taiwan independence. Resistance from the perspective of personal characteristics The pressing ability may be sufficient, but the softness still needs to be observed.”
Comment: Lai clearly stated that no matter what name Taiwan is, it will excite Beijing’s nerves
Shen, a self-media person, also said on this station's program that Lai Ching-te's performance in his inauguration speech was smooth and could reassure Taiwan and the United States, but it was difficult to take into account China's feelings.
Mr. Shen said: "He said that whether it is the Republic of China, the Republic of China, Taiwan, or Taiwan, it is all equally loud. In fact, this can also be seen as saying that it is no longer important to talk about Taiwan independence or not. What is important is that the Communist Party does not allow them. Democracy is the most fundamental issue. So he (Lai Qingde) reflected it through this sentence. No matter what you call it, in the eyes of the CCP, it is Taiwan independence, as long as you recognize that Taiwan has democracy and sovereignty. For the people, this is Taiwan independence. It’s not about the gap between Taiwan independence and unification, but the conflict between liberal democracy and authoritarian systems.”
Comment: Lai Qingde’s policy line, which shows that sovereignty lies with the people, takes shape
Song Guocheng, a researcher at the International Relations Research Center of Taiwan National Chengchi University, said in the program that Taiwan should adopt a "detached" attitude when viewing China's response. He also said that Lai Ching-te had shown his blueprint for future governance through his speech.
Song Guocheng said: "From his entire speech, I summarized 16 important directions, which I think constitute the so-called Lai Qingde line. The first one is to emphasize that sovereignty lies in the people's independent country. No matter what name you use, the Republic of China In Taiwan, whether it is Taiwan or the Republic of China, this is our common homeland. The name is not important. The most important thing is that sovereignty lies with the people. Even I think he has shown that he has room for future governance.”
As for Lai Ching-te's proposal to replace confrontation with dialogue, Song Guocheng believes that Lai Ching-te's move is an attempt to find room for a breakthrough in the current cross-strait situation and to express the voice of Taiwanese people to the world. However, Mr. Shen believes that the Chinese Communist Party will not dialogue with the Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party, which is labeled as Taiwan independence. The relevant statement is only to appease the public opinion in Taiwan that does not want cross-strait relations to worsen.