The delicate balance facing William Lai, Taiwan's presidential front runner
Time|December 04, 2023
MORE THAN ONCE WHEN WILLIAM LAI WAS A small boy, a passing typhoon tore the roof of his home clean away. It's a recollection that brings a wry smile to Taiwan's Vice President, who grew up in the small coal-mining hamlet of Wanli perched on the island's far north.
CHARLIE CAMPBELL
The delicate balance facing William Lai, Taiwan's presidential front runner

His father died in an accident in the pits when Lai was just 2 years old, leaving his mother to raise six children alone. Money was tight. Instead of toys, Lai had banyan trees to climb; instead of new clothes, he wore castoffs; he didn't have privilege, he had to prove himself. Today, Lai, 64, is the front runner in Taiwan's January elections to replace outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen, who represents the same Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) but is ineligible to stand for a third term.

"One of the biggest assets my father left me was being impoverished," Lai tells TIME in an interview in late October. "Because in this environment, I worked harder, more vigorously on everything I did. It gave me a sense of determination."

Two days after our conversation, Lai returned to Wanli on the campaign trail, where he was greeted with presumptive shouts of "Hello, President!" After lighting incense at a lantern-filled temple, Lai promised the assembled crowd he would improve transport links and health care facilities for seniors, before turning to more weighty concerns. "My first priority is to maintain stability in the Indo-Pacific region," Lai told a throng of farmers and crab fishermen.

Lai may not worry about typhoons these days, but geopolitical winds continue to batter the Taiwanese. Beijing considers the self-governing island of 23 million its sovereign territory and has vowed to reclaim it - by force if necessary. It remains the most combustive of the myriad squabbles that today define relations between the world's superpowers. On four occasions, President Joe Biden has vowed to protect Taiwan from Chinese military aggression. Lai knows war benefits nobody. "Taiwan hopes to be friends with China - we don't wish to be enemies," he says.

Denne historien er fra December 04, 2023-utgaven av Time.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra December 04, 2023-utgaven av Time.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA TIMESe alt
A timely thriller for a mad, mad world
Time

A timely thriller for a mad, mad world

A’70s-style paranoid thriller grounded in the partisan polarization of today

time-read
2 mins  |
December 09, 2024
Freshwater reserves
Time

Freshwater reserves

A troubling dip

time-read
1 min  |
December 09, 2024
An exuberant ode to human possibility
Time

An exuberant ode to human possibility

VERY RARELY DOES THE RIGHT MOVIE ARRIVE AT precisely the right time, at a moment when compassion is in short supply and the collective human imagination has come to feel shrunken and desiccated.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 09, 2024
Broadcasting a crisis for the world to see
Time

Broadcasting a crisis for the world to see

ON SEPT. 5, 1972, A 32-YEAR-OLD PRODUCER NAMED Geoffrey S. Mason was working in a control room for ABC Sports in Munich while 12 hostages, including several members of the Israeli Olympic delegation, were being held in a building nearby.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 09, 2024
The Power of the Peer
Time

The Power of the Peer

WITH MENTAL-HEALTH CARE IN SHORT SUPPLY, CAN REGULAR PEOPLE FILL THE GAP?

time-read
7 mins  |
December 09, 2024
QUEERING THE STORY
Time

QUEERING THE STORY

Luca Guadagnino directs Daniel Craig in an adaptation of William S. Burroughs' 1985 novella Queer

time-read
6 mins  |
December 09, 2024
Shopping under the influence
Time

Shopping under the influence

LTK CO-FOUNDER AMBER VENZ BOX SAW THE FUTURE OF RETAIL. IT TOOK YEARS FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD TO CATCH UP

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 09, 2024
The Kingmaker
Time

The Kingmaker

Elon Musk's partnership with the President-elect

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 09, 2024
Turkey's Erdogan plots his next power grab
Time

Turkey's Erdogan plots his next power grab

RECEP TAYYIP Erdogan is a political survivor.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 09, 2024
Why maiden names matter in the age of AI and identity
Time

Why maiden names matter in the age of AI and identity

IN THE DIGITAL AGE, A NAME IS MORE THAN JUST A label. It's tied to our professional history and social media presence.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 09, 2024