Taiwan VP new ruling party boss, setting stage for presidential run

Taiwan Vice President William Lai was elected as the new chairman of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Sunday, setting the stage for him to run in presidential elections early next year.
Lai was the only candidate for taking the helm of the DPP. President Tsai Ing-wen resigned as party chairwoman in November after the DPP was trounced at local elections.
Lai has not directly said whether he intends to run in the presidential vote but is widely expected to do so now he is DPP chairman. Tsai cannot run again as president due to constitutional term limits.
The DPP’s acting secretary general Sidney Lin told reporters in Taipei that Lai had won election. He formally assumes the role on Wednesday.
Lai, in a statement, pledged to win back public trust for the party and to “firmly protect Taiwan and promote Taiwan’s democracy, peace and prosperity in a complex and changeable international situation.”
Lai has previously angered Beijing, which views Taiwan as merely a wayward province not a country, with his staunch support for the island’s sovereignty and separate identity.