In Taiwan, the ruling party’s continued control of the presidency will see China steadily escalate its military and economic coercion against Taipei in the coming years, which will impede U.S.-China efforts to curb strategic competition, while presenting a low risk of blockades or an invasion of Taiwan’s outlying islands. William Lai of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won the Jan. 13 presidential election with 40% of the vote, versus 33% for Hou Yu-ih of the conservative opposition party Kuomintang (KMT) and 26% for Ko Wen-je of the centrist Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). Lai’s victory will give the DPP an unprecedented third consecutive term in the presidency, with current President Tsai Ing-wen set to step down in May after reaching a two-term limit. Despite Lai’s presidential win, the DPP lost its majority in the Legislative Yuan, Taiwan’s unicameral legislature; while no party secured a new majority, the KMT gained a…