Rising from a humble coal-mining town to assume Taiwan's highest office on Monday, President Lai Ching-te now faces the challenge of navigating a widening rift with an increasingly assertive China while grappling with a fractious parliament at home.
The 64-year-old Harvard graduate swept to the presidency in January's elections on the promise he would defend Taiwan's democracy and resist Beijing's claims on the island.
In his inaugural speech Monday, Lai called on Taiwanese to "come together to safeguard our nation" against China's threats to bring the island under its control.