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Voters in Taiwan Ignore China's Pressure/Elect Candidate Lai Ching-te as President

2024-01-13 16:42:49, Kosova & Bota CNA

Taiwanese voters elected Democratic Progressive Party candidate Lai Ching-te as president on Saturday, a clear signal to China that it had been pressing not to vote for him. Addressing supporters after his two opponents conceded defeat, Taiwan's president-elect Lai Ching-te vowed to stand "on the side of democracy" and defend the self-ruled island from China's "intimidation". The campaign for this election was not only focused on China but also on domestic issues such as the high cost of housing, low wages and unstable electricity supplies.

Voters in Taiwan elected Democratic Progressive Party candidate Lai Ching-te as president in Saturday's election, clearly defying China's warnings not to vote for him in what Beijing has described as a "choice between war and peace." ".

Addressing supporters after his two opponents conceded defeat, Taiwan's president-elect Lai Ching-te vowed to stand "on the side of democracy" and defend the self-ruled island from "intimidation" by China, which has described it as a threat to peace.

He said that the people of Taiwan wrote a "new chapter in the island's democracy" with their vote.

"We are telling the international community that between democracy and authoritarianism, we will stand on the side of democracy," he said, stressing that he is open to communicating with China. But Mr. Lai Ching-te vowed to "defend Taiwan from China's constant threats and intimidation."

Among other things, he said that the island had "successfully resisted the efforts of external forces to influence these elections".

In a reaction, China's Taiwan Affairs Office said Lai Ching-te's victory in Saturday's election would not change the basic landscape of close relations. In a statement to China's state-run Xinhua news agency, Chen Binhua, a spokesman for the office representing Beijing, said the results showed that the Democratic Progressive Party cannot represent public opinion on the island.

Taiwan and China separated in 1949 after a civil war. The self-governing island has never been part of the People's Republic of China, but Beijing sees it as a breakaway province and has declared it will retake it by force if necessary.

China considers democratically governed Taiwan part of its territory and has increased military pressure in recent years to try to force the island to accept Chinese sovereignty.

The United States follows the one-China policy, and does not officially recognize Taiwan's independence and has no diplomatic relations with the island.

However, US law requires a credible defense of Taiwan and that Washington treat all threats to the island as a matter of high importance.

The campaign for this election was not only focused on China but also on domestic issues such as the high cost of housing, low wages and unstable electricity supplies.

Mr Lai, who is also known as William, won 40% of the vote, unlike the current president, who was re-elected by a landslide four years ago, with more than 50% of the vote.

His party lost control of parliament, which could hamper his ability to pass laws. However, Mr. Lai extended a hand of cooperation to his opponents, saying that he would sit down and discuss with them./ VOA