Summary

  • William Lai, a 64-year-old doctor turned politician, has been sworn in as Taiwan’s president, following his win in January’s election

  • In his inauguration speech, he called China's military actions the "greatest strategic challenge to global peace and stability"

  • He is expected to promise stability as he takes over from Tsai Ing-wen, whose cautious yet steely hand reset the island’s relationship with China

  • Beijing has long claimed democratically governed Taiwan as its own - and has not ruled out the use of force to take it

  • Beijing has made clear it deeply disapproves of both Lai and his vice-president, Hsiao Bi-khim, a Japanese-born diplomat who served in the US

  • Taiwan has reported an uptick in Chinese military incursions in recent weeks, and has said it is prepared for more such moves following Lai’s inauguration

  • At home, Lai faces a divided parliament and disgruntled youth who have been hit by housing woes and a lack of jobs

Live Reporting

Edited by Yvette Tan

  1. The inauguration is more international than you would expect

    Rupert Wingfield-Hayes
    in Taipei

    Guests sit down to wait for Lai's addressJoy Chiang/ BBC

    There are groups of people taking photos and selfies in front of the stage where William Lai will address the crowd soon.

    A lot of them are not local - there are Vietnamese, Japanese, Indonesians and people from Myamar.

    It seems like a lot of non-governmental, civil society and parliamentary groups have been invited - it's more international than you would think. And that's deliberate.

    It's part of the strategy by the Taiwan government to turn these events into intenational events to elevate Taiwan's position on the global stage, although it has as few as 12 official diplomatic allies.

    Guests pose for photos ahead of Lai's addressJoy Chiang/ BBC

  2. William Lai is now the president of Taiwan
    Breaking

    William Lai has now been sworn in as Taiwan's president.

    He takes over from Tsai Ing-wen, having served as her vice-president for four years.

    ScreenshotAgencies

  3. Taiwan presidential swearing-in ceremony begins

    Taiwan's presidential swearing-in ceremony has now begun.

    William Lai and his deputy Hsiao Bi-khim are expected to be sworn in shortly. They will then greet the crowd at the plaza in front of the Presidential Office Building in Taipei.

    Lai will then sign appointment decrees for key members of his cabinet, including the Premier, Secretary-General to the President, and National Security Council Secretary-General, who will be sworn in at 09:30. The rest of the cabinet will be sworn in at 09:40.

    Lai and Hsiao are also expected to meet with foreign guests.

    Lai will then deliver his inaugural address as president at about 11:00.

    Lai (third from left), Tsai Ing-Wen and Hsiao among others posing for a photo before the swearing-in ceremonyTaiwan Presidential Office

    Lai (third from left), Tsai Ing-Wen (third from right) and Hsiao (second from right) among others posing for a photo before the swearing-in ceremony

  4. There is no honeymoon ahead for William Lai

    Rupert Wingfield-Hayes
    in Taipei

    I am standing in front of the presidential building, in front of the stage where William Lai will make his inaugural address.

    He's going to come out here soon and greet the thousands of people who are now gathering - all the invited guests who have come here to watch this morning's inauguration.

    President Lai is not going to have an easy start. For one, he faced a divided parliament - opposition parties in Taiwan were brawling in parliament over the weekend over proposed reforms, and protesting over the last few days. And of course, there's also the reaction from China, which does not like Lai, who it has called a "troublemaker".

    We don't know how China might or might not react. But certainly the new president is not going to have any honeymoon period before he has to get down and deal with the problems that he is going to face.

  5. Who is William Lai?

    Lai, 64, is a staunch defender of the island's self-governing status - with China's state-run Global Times even calling for him to be prosecuted under Beijing's anti-secession laws.

    He had served as President Tsai's Ing-wen’s vice-president from 2020 to 2024, and before that as her premier. He once described himself as a"pragmatic worker for Taiwanese independence".

    While campaigning, Mr Lai repeatedly said that Taiwan hopes to"be friends" with China. Beijing, in turn, has called Mr Lai a"troublemaker through and through".

    Mr Lai's father died in an accident when he was two. Watching his mother raise six children by herself fostered a strong work ethic in Mr Lai, he says. He was medically trained in Harvard and worked as a renal doctor before he entered public service in Taiwan in the mid-1990s.

    He first served as a lawmaker representing the southern city of Tainan.

    Lai and his vice-president Hsiao Bi-khim celebrate after winning the election in JanuaryGetty Images

    Lai and his vice-president Hsiao Bi-khim celebrate after winning the election in January

  6. Welcome to our live coverage

    Yvette Tan
    Live editor

    Hello and welcome to the BBC's coverage of the inauguration of Taiwan's new president, William Lai Ching-te.

    Lai, who served as Taiwan's vice-president for the last four years, will be taking over from Tsai Ing-wen, who reset the island’s relationship with China during her eight years in power.

    He is expected to advance her policies, but faces his own challenges - including an increasily aggressive China and domestic issues like a high cost of living.

    In attendance at today's ceremony will be former US officials dispatched by President Joe Biden, lawmakers from countries including Japan, Germany and China and leaders from some of the handful of countries which still maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

    Lai's victory earlier in January marked an unprecedented third consecutive presidential term for Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party.