[Taipei, Today Richard Liao]
Lai Ching-te, the ruling-party candidate, has won Taiwan’s presidential election, with his opponents conceding defeat after a tightly contested three-way race. The election’s outcome will significantly influence Taiwan’s relations with China for the next four years. The election was seen as a choice between peace and war, with the stability of the 110-mile-wide waterway between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan, a self-governed island claimed by China, at stake.
President Biden stated that the United States does not support Taiwan’s independence, emphasizing a stance of non-support for independence. Lai Ching-te, also known as William Lai, is the vice president of Taiwan’s governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Both Lai and incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen reject China’s sovereignty claims over Taiwan, a former Japanese colony that split from the mainland in 1949. They have expressed willingness to speak with Beijing, which has consistently refused talks and labeled them separatists. Beijing has strongly opposed Lai’s election.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Lai on his victory and praised the Taiwanese people for demonstrating the strength of their democratic system. Blinken reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and resolving differences peacefully, free from coercion and pressure. He highlighted the deepening partnership between the American and Taiwanese people, rooted in democratic values.
The election also featured candidates from the more China-friendly Nationalist party (Kuomintang or KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). The KMT candidate, Hou Yu-ih, promised to restart talks with China and bolster national defense without moving towards unification. TPP’s candidate, Ko Wen-je, a former mayor of Taipei, appealed to young voters seeking an alternative to traditional parties.
Domestic issues like affordable housing and stagnating wages, along with tensions with China, dominated the campaign. Taiwan’s economy grew by just 1.4% last year, partly due to cycles in demand for exports like computer chips and a slowing Chinese economy.
The election is seen as having a lasting influence on the geopolitical landscape, determining the nature of Taiwan’s ties with China and the West and impacting the situation in the South China Sea.