TAINAN, Taiwan -- Hours after President Lai Ching-te was inaugurated as Taiwan's head of state on May 20, he hosted a banquet for more than 500 dignitaries at the Formosa Yacht Resort in Tainan, the island state's ancient former capital.
Lai said Tainan had been chosen to mark both the 400th anniversary of its foundation by Dutch traders in 1624 and the role that its diverse history could play in the development of Taiwan, a democracy claimed by Beijing, which says its island neighbor has been ruled by China "since ancient times."
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