William Lai Ching-te from the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), who is seen as a “dangerous separatist” by China, has won Taiwan’s presidential election.
Lai, the current vice president, who has asserted the self-ruled island’s sovereignty, beat his nearest rival Hou Yu-ih of the conservative Kuomintang (KMT) by more than 900,000 votes in Saturday’s elections.
With Lai’s win, the DPP secured an unprecedented third consecutive term in power, signifying that the majority of Taiwanese stand behind the party’s values of preserving democracy.
The DPP does not represent the mainstream public opinion on the island, Beijing said after Lai was named the winner of Saturday’s vote, adding that the vote “will not impede the inevitable trend of China’s reunification”.
In his victory speech, the 64-year-old Lai congratulated voters for refusing to be swayed by “external forces” trying to influence the election in an apparent reference to China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory.
He said he wanted to cooperate with China – Taiwan’s biggest trade partner – and maintain peace and stability, but pledged not to be “intimidated” by Beijing.
Here’s more about the president-elect that China has vocally opposed:
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