Global Courant
William Lai Ching-te of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), 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, defeated his closest rival Hou Yu-ih of the conservative Kuomintang (KMT) by more than 900,000 votes in Saturday’s elections.
With Lai’s victory, the DPP secured an unprecedented third consecutive term in power, indicating that the majority of Taiwanese support the party’s values of preserving democracy.
The DPP does not represent mainstream public opinion on the island, Beijing said after Lai was declared the winner of Saturday’s vote, adding that the vote “will not hinder the inevitable trend of China’s reunification.”
In his victory speech, Lai, 64, 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 work with China – Taiwan’s largest trading partner – and maintain peace and stability, but vowed not to be “intimidated” by Beijing.
Here’s more about the president-elect China has vocally opposed:
Managing Taiwan as vice president
In his most recent role as vice president, Lai helped advance Taiwan’s interests internationally.
Last August, he made a diplomatic mission to Paraguay, a move criticized by Beijing. The Latin American country is one of dozens of countries that still maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. However, Taiwan has trade ties with countries around the world.
Lai has also drawn a line between Taiwan and Ukraine and the rise of authoritarianism worldwide, saying the phenomenon has “made the international community aware of the fragility of democracy.”
During his and outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen’s tenure, Taiwan has increased arms purchases from the United States, which is legally required to supply the island with weapons needed to protect itself. Washington has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, in line with its “one China” policy.
As such, during his time as vice president, Lai spoke of the need to build Taiwan’s military deterrent capabilities, strengthen economic security and forge partnerships with democracies around the world.
“We tell the international community that between democracy and authoritarianism, we will stand on the side of democracy,” Lai told his supporters on Saturday evening.
Relations with China
China has been vocal about its opposition to Lai, calling him a dangerous separatist. Beijing had essentially called the poll a choice between war and peace.
However, the new president-elect repeatedly said during the campaign that he wanted to maintain the status quo with China and has repeatedly offered to talk to Beijing.
Lai once said that the head of state he would most like to have dinner with is Chinese President Xi Jinping, who he said needs to “chill out a little.”
Now that the leader has been elected, peace, social stability and prosperity on the island are at stake as Beijing builds up military activity around the island, which it says can be retaken by force if necessary.
Taiwan is home to the world’s leading semiconductor industry, producing small chips used in everything from Bluetooth headphones to missile systems.
These silicon wafers are the lifeblood of the modern global economy, placing great responsibility on Lai to carefully balance tensions as the United States and China wrestle over technology exports.
During his bid for the presidency, Lai championed domestic issues such as reviving the sluggish economy and housing affordability.
From humble origins to Harvard educated
Lai grew up in northern Taiwan from a humble background as the son of a miner who died when the president-elect was a small child.
He left his medical career as a doctor specializing in spinal cord injuries to delve into politics.
Before being elected president, Lai held several prominent positions, including vice president, prime minister, lawmaker and mayor of the southern city of Tainan.
Taiwan’s new leader has a master’s degree in public health from Harvard University in the US.
