Pro-sovereignty candidate William Lai, Jan 13th made history as he was elected by Taiwanese voters as their new leader cementing a path that is increasingly divergent from China.
The weekend electoral action has been a new tune of anger on the part of China with the giant Asian country issuing a strong statement after the result, insisting that “Taiwan is part of China”.
However, despite the arousing tension in the region, Beijing seeks “peaceful reunification”, also not ruling out the use of force on the Asian island.
Describing the Taiwan election as a choice between “war and peace”.
Recall on August 19, 2023, 10:00 PM GMT+1 (Reuters) reported China’s military drills around Taiwan, a Beijing response to Vice President William Lai’s visit to the United States, an action that was condemned by Taiwan. Ever since the presence, the Chinese government has ramped up its military presence around the island, which in recent months, heightening fears of a possible conflict.
Beijing’s communist party government reviles Mr Lai’s pro-sovereignty Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) which has governed Taiwan for eight years.
By winning an unprecedented third consecutive presidential term for his party, Mr Lai has broken new ground. In his first remarks after his opponents conceded, he signaled that this was an irreversible trajectory.
“The country will continue to walk on the right path forward. We will not turn around or look backward,” he told the world’s media in a press conference.
Later, while addressing tens of thousands of ecstatic supporters on the streets of Taipei, Mr. Lai characterized his win as a triumph of democracy.
“We’ve done it. We didn’t let external forces influence our election. That’s because we decided that only we can choose our president,” he said. In the lead-up to the polls, Taiwan had accused China of attempting to interfere with the process.
In a report by BBC, the newly elected president told reporters he favored more exchanges and dialogue over obstructionism and conflict and called for peace and stability with Beijing.
While he further emphasized the need to “maintain the cross-strait status quo” – neither seeking independence nor unification with China – and pledged to “safeguard Taiwan from threats from China”.
However, for the sake of unity and historical traits, the communist party of China maintains its position of labeling Mr Lai a “separatist” and “troublemaker” over remarks he made in the past supporting Taiwanese independence, which it sees as a red line. But in recent months he indicated he would not pursue formal independence.
On Saturday, the Taiwan Affairs Office of China’s State Council issued a statement insisting that Taiwan’s elections “cannot stop the unstoppable trend of the eventual reunification of the motherland” and the DPP “cannot represent the mainstream public opinion” in Taiwan.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s biggest ally, the United States of America was swift to congratulate Mr Lai on his win, through the Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
He also praised the island’s “robust democratic system and electoral process”. In a statement, he said Washington is “committed to maintaining cross-strait peace and stability”. Earlier President Joe Biden told reporters the US “does not support independence” for Taiwan.
However, celebrations were seen outside the DPP’s headquarters in Taipei on Saturday, and supporters celebrated the result.
In the words of Cheng Yu-Tsai, “Protecting our democracy is imminent and I am happy to witness this moment”.
Another supporter, Wei Yi-tsai, said “I don’t care [how China reacts]. We have to hold up our values and insist on what we think is right and move on,”
Mr Lai’s 40% of the vote put him comfortably ahead of Hou Yu-ih from the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party. Since 2000, Taiwan has alternated between the DPP and the KMT which is friendlier to Beijing.
Maverick politician Ko Wen-je from the Taiwan People’s Party, a newcomer party to Taiwan’s political scene popular with young voters, gained a quarter of the vote.
Voters on Saturday also chose their legislature. The DPP has lost its majority with the opposition gaining ground, though no one party has enough seats to control parliament, according to Taiwanese media reports.
Observers say that an opposition-dominated legislature with a DPP president could mean the process of governing Taiwan would become more fraught.