Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won the general election for the third consecutive time as the party’s leader and soon-to-be-president Lai Ching-te pledged to keep the status quo with Beijing and maintain its independence.
DPP’s Lai Ching-te earns more than 40% of the popular vote, while the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), which leans toward China, had roughly 33% of the vote.
The winning of DPP is certainly to ire Beijing despite Lai always stating during his campaign that he wants to keep independence for Taiwan, but also open talks to China as well, saying that “we” do not want to be enemies with China and expecting both parties to become friends.
However, Beijing does not share the same vision as DPP’s Lai and viewed him as a dangerous separatist and a stubborn worker for Taiwan independence.
The tension between China and Taiwan is likely to continue as the DPP is also known for favouring the U.S., while President Joe Biden has pledged to defend Taiwan in the event of a China invasion.
Before the election, the Biden administration reiterated its support for Taiwan’s democratic process, while Beijing warned Washington not to get involved in this.
