In his 30-minute inaugural speech on May 20, Lai Ching-te, from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), said that Taiwan is a "sovereign and independent country," and that the island nation and the communist regime in mainland China "are not subordinate to each other."

"I also want to call on China to cease their political and military intimidations against Taiwan, and share with Taiwan the global responsibility of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, as well as the greater region, and to ensure the world is free from the fear of war," Mr. Lai said.

Mr. Lai said his administration aims to "further entrench Taiwan's democracy" and "maintain peace in the Indo-Pacific."

"I have always believed that if the leader of a country puts people's welfare above all, then peace in the Taiwan Strait, mutual benefits, and prosperous coexistence would be common goals," he said. "I hope that China will face the reality of the Republic of China's existence."

Mr. Lai won January's presidential election by a margin of about 7 percentage points over second-place Hou Yu-ih, a candidate of the Kuomintang Party (KMT). His victory gave the DPP an unprecedented third consecutive term, after eight years with Tsai Ing-wen at the helm.

The DPP's win is considered a setback for the CCP, which has traditionally favored KMT political candidates because of their friendly view of the communist neighbor. In contrast, the Chinese regime has labeled Mr. Lai as a "troublemaker" and "separatist."

The CCP often slaps the "separatist" label on any Taiwanese who defends the island's sovereignty and rejects the communist regime's territorial claim over the island. China's communist regime is preparing its military to seize Taiwan, even though the island is a de facto independent nation with its own military, constitution, and currency.