See how the Lai lands: Taiwan’s new president

<p>Domestic divisions are already complicating the <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2024/05/20/lai-ching-te-aims-to-strengthen-taiwan-but-maintain-the-status-quo?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=theintelligence&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">daunting task</a> William Lai Ching-te has set himself: strengthening Taiwan while maintaining its ambiguous geopolitical status quo. With more and more big firms choosing to stay private—with good reason—the stockmarket <a href="https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2024/04/18/why-the-stockmarket-is-disappearing?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=theintelligence&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">is shrinking</a> (09:37). And dating apps are putting an end to the <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2024/04/18/online-dating-spells-the-end-of-britains-lonely-hearts-ads?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=theintelligence&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">lonely-hearts advertisement</a> (16:47).</p><br /><p><em>Get a world of insights for </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>50% off—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p><hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>