Lai Ching-te, also known as William Lai, is a Taiwanese politician and physician who assumed office as the president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in 2024. Born in 1959 in the Wanli District of New Taipei, Lai initially pursued a career in medicine. He studied at National Taiwan University and National Cheng Kung University before earning a master's degree in public health from Harvard University in 2003. He worked as a chief physician specializing in internal medicine and nephrology before transitioning into public service.
Lai's political career began in 1996 when he was elected to represent Tainan City in the National Assembly. He subsequently served in the Legislative Yuan from 1999 to 2010. Lai then transitioned to local executive leadership, serving as the first mayor of Tainan from 2010 to 2017, followed by a tenure as the premier of the Republic of China from 2017 to 2019.
After an unsuccessful bid in the 2019 Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential primary, Lai joined incumbent Tsai Ing-wen's ticket as the vice-presidential candidate, winning the 2020 election. He became the chairman of the DPP in 2023 and was elected president in 2024, succeeding Tsai Ing-wen.
