Lai Ching-te: Coal miner’s son to Taiwan president

TAIPEI– Son of a coal miner, Taiwan’s Lai Ching-te takes the helm Monday as president of the self-ruled island, tasked with navigating the widening rift with an increasingly assertive China. 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