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On Apr. 12, Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) nominated Vice President, William Lai Ching-te, as its presidential candidate for the upcoming elections in January 2024, AFP reported.

Lai, 63, is known as a figure who has been more vocal on Taiwan's independence than current Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen.

He holds a masters degree in public health from Harvard University and has served as Taiwan's vice president since 2020.

Tsai will be stepping down after her second four-year term in May 2024 and will not be eligible to run again.

She resigned as DPP's leader after her party lost the local elections to opposition party Kuomintang (KMT) in November 2022.

Pro-independence candidate

With Lai standing to run for president, his stance on Taiwan's independence and cross-strait relations would likely receive increased scrutiny in a time of rising tensions with China, Focus Taiwan reported.

He has described himself as a "pragmatic worker for Taiwan independence", according to Nikkei Asia.

Lai expressed that he was honoured to have been nominated as DPP's presidential candidate and will "uphold the duty of safeguarding Taiwan", AFP reported.

“Now, the democratic bloc in the international community has noticed China’s threat to the international community, and is concerned with the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait,” he was quoted as saying.

Noting that one "must prepare for war to avoid war" while "to stop a war you must be able to fight a war", he said he is committed to strengthening Taiwan as a democracy.

He also suggested that he would work towards peaceful relations with China despite the latter's diplomatic and military threats.

“We will also not give up any chance for peace,” said Lai, calling for both sides to cooperate in order to improve their people's lives.

In January 2023, he was sworn in as DPP's new leader.

During the swearing-in ceremony, he remarked that Taiwan was already "an independent and sovereign nation" and they need not further declare independence, according to Nikkei Asia.

Chinese military drills

The announcement comes shortly after China concluded its three-day military exercise that simulated the blockade of Taiwan, which was a targeted response towards the meeting between Tsai and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Lai's nomination would potentially anger China, who views Taiwan its core interest and a red line that should not be crossed.

In 2018, the then-premier had already angered China in 2018 by proclaiming that he was a "Taiwan independence worker" and he viewed Taiwan as a sovereign nation, according to Reuters.

Beijing has repeatedly warned that they would take "resolute measures" to defend the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Despite formally announcing the end of the military drills, Chinese forces were still present around the Taiwan strait, Reuters reported.

Taiwanese lawmakers have also slammed the drills, saying that they had "escalated tensions in the region", according to Focus Taiwan.

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Top image via William Lai's Facebook page