Lai Ching-te’s View on History: The new Taiwanese president revealed a shift in perspective.

The inaugural address of Taiwan’s new President Lai Ching-te late last month attracted international attention. The speech prompted a barrage of criticism from Beijing, which ramped up the pressure on Taiwan with military exercises. China likely paid special attention to the parts “the Republic of China Taiwan is a sovereign, independent nation in which sovereignty lies in the hands of the people” and “I think it is apparent to us all: We have a nation insofar as we have sovereignty. Right in the first chapter of our Constitution, it says that ‘The sovereignty of the Republic of China shall reside in the whole body of citizens,’ and that ‘Persons possessing the nationality of the Republic of China shall be citizens of the Republic of China.’ These two articles tell us clearly: The Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other.”

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