William Lai eyes Taiwan's presidency as new leader of ruling DPP

U.S. 'unsure' of how potential presidential candidate might approach China

Taiwanese Vice President Lai Ching-te on Jan. 18 also became leader of the island's ruling Democratic Progressive Party. © Reuters

THOMPSON CHAU, Contributing writer

January 18, 2023 18:15 JST

TAIPEI -- Lai Ching-te, whose coal miner father died while he was a toddler, took over as leader of Taiwan's ruling party on Wednesday, promising to address voter dissatisfaction and push through reforms ahead of a presidential election in less than 12 months.