(Bloomberg) -- Incoming Taiwan president Lai Ching-te chose as his premier a veteran official who has served in the current administration, underscoring his push for continuity.

Lai said at a briefing in Taipei on Wednesday that the role would be filled by Cho Jung-tai, a former cabinet secretary-general who once led the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. The premier handles the government’s day-to-day domestic affairs.

The announcement and media speculation about future appointments indicate that many of President Tsai Ing-wen’s key officials will find positions in the new government, which takes power when Lai is inaugurated May 20. Lai, the current vice-president, ran on a pledge to stick to many of Tsai’s policies, reassuring voters he’d be a safe choice in a geopolitical hot spot.

Tsai has used her eight years in office to raise Taiwan’s profile internationally, and tighten ties with Japan and the US, the island’s main military backer. She’s also sought economic opportunities in Southeast Asia, a move that has resulted in a wave of tourists from the Philippines and Thailand visiting the democratically run island.

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China vows to bring Taiwan under its control eventually, by force if necessary, and has refused to hold talks with Tsai since she took office because she doesn’t accept that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to “one China.”

Ties between China and Taiwan flourished under her predecessor, Ma Ying-jeou, of the opposition Kuomintang. Ma is visiting Beijing, and Taiwanese media outlets says he’ll meet Xi on the trip.

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