Anti China Lai Ching-te wins Taiwan’s presidential election

Lai Ching-te, who since 2020 had served as vice-president have won the Presidential Election. This victory marks the historic third term in power for the pro-sovereignty Democratic Progressive party (DPP).

Election results clearly showed Taiwanese voters strongly rejecting Chinese pressure and in future it will anger Beijing and heighten tensions across the Taiwan strait.

The election is being contested by three candidates — Lai Ching-te, 64, chairman of the governing Democratic Progressive Party; Hou Yu-ih, 66, the mayor of New Taipei City who represents the main opposition Kuomintang; and Ko Wen-je, 64, who heads the Taiwan People’s Party.

Voters also elected members of the Legislative Yuan, the 113-seat unicameral parliament.

DPP and Lai’s victory marks the continuation of a government that promoted a sovereign Taiwan and a national identity separate to China, and oversaw some of the deepest cross-strait tensions in decades as Beijing pushed towards its goal of annexation.

Lai won 40% vote unlike current President Tsai Ing-wen who in a landslide victory was re-elected four years ago with winning more than 50% of the vote.

DPP lost its majority in parliament mainly because of public frustration at domestic issues like the high cost of housing and stagnating wages after eight years of DPP’s rule.

Results showed Lai ahead of Hou You-yi from the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), and a third placed Taiwan People’s party. Pre-election polls had shown Lai with a much narrower lead.

Shortly after being announced as Taiwan’s new president, “We’ve written a new page for Taiwan’s history of democracy.”

Lai said he would maintain the status quo in relations across the Taiwan Strait, but that he was “determined to safeguard Taiwan from threats and intimidation from China”.

At the same time, he emphasis on the need for cooperation and dialogue with Beijing on an equal basis to “replace confrontation”, though he didn’t give specifics.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office struck a gentler tone in its response to Lai’s election and did not mention him by name, saying that the results reveal that the DPP “cannot represent the mainstream public opinion” on Taiwan.

Since the last election in 2020, China has engaged in an unprecedented level of military activity in the Taiwan Strait, including holding two rounds of major war games near the island.