Lai Ching-te promised to stand ‘on the side of democracy’ and ‘safeguard Taiwan’Beijing has vowed to ‘crush’ any move towards Taiwanese independence
Taiwan‘s president-elect has vowed to defend the self-ruled island against ‘threats’ and ‘intimidation’ from China, which has branded him as a ‘severe danger’ to peace in the territory.
Lai Ching-te delivered an unprecedented third consecutive term for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) after a raucous campaign in which he pitched himself as the defender of Taiwan’s democratic way of life.
Communist China claims democratic Taiwan, separated from the mainland by a 180-kilometre (110-mile) strait, as its own and says it will not rule out using force to bring about ‘unification’, even if conflict does not appear imminent.
Beijing has in the past slammed Lai, the current vice president, as a dangerous ‘separatist’ and on the eve of the vote, its defence ministry vowed to ‘crush’ any move towards Taiwanese independence.
But on Saturday, after his two opponents conceded defeat, Lai in his victory speech promised to stand ‘on the side of democracy’ and ‘safeguard Taiwan from continuing threat and intimidation from China’.
Lai on Saturday thanked the Taiwanese people for ‘writing a new chapter in our democracy’.
‘We are telling the international community that between democracy and authoritarianism, we will stand on the side of democracy,’ he said, adding that he will also try to pursue exchanges with China.
‘I will act… in a manner that is balanced and maintain the cross-strait status quo.’
Leading up to Saturday’s poll, authorities had repeatedly warned of interference from China, pointing to paid trips to the mainland for voters and flagging instances of disinformation that painted Lai in a negative light.
After his win, Lai said the island had ‘successfully resisted efforts from external forces to influence this election’.
The victory extends DPP’s rule after eight years under outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen, who had served the maximum two four-year terms.
But in legislative elections held alongside the presidential ballot, the DPP lost its majority in the 113-seat parliament.
According to official data from Taiwan’s Central Election Commission, Lai had 40.1 per cent of the vote with ballots counted from 99 per cent of polling stations.
His main rival Hou Yu-ih of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) trailed in second place with 33.5 per cent.
‘When the people have made their decision, we face them and we listen to the voices of the people,’ Hou told supporters.
KMT’s Hou had argued for warmer ties with China and accused the DPP of antagonising Beijing with its stance that Taiwan is ‘already independent’.
Ko Wen-je, who took 26.5 per cent of the vote with an anti-establishment offer of a ‘third way’ out of the two-party deadlock, said the results put his Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on the map as a ‘key opposition force’.
‘Ko Wen-je will not give up on building Taiwan into a sustainable country and I would like to appeal to you not to give up as well,’ he told supporters.
During the campaign the KMT and TPP tried to strike a deal to join forces against the DPP, but the partnership collapsed in public acrimony over who would lead the presidential ticket.
The election was watched closely by both Beijing and Washington, Taiwan’s main military partner, as the two superpowers tussle for influence in the strategically vital region.
Located on a key maritime gateway linking the South China Sea to the Pacific Ocean, Taiwan is home to a powerhouse semiconductor industry producing precious microchips – the lifeblood of the global economy powering everything from smartphones and cars to missiles.
China has stepped up military pressure on Taiwan in recent years, periodically stoking worries about a potential invasion.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a recent New Year’s address the ‘unification’ of Taiwan with China was ‘inevitable’.
Beijing has never renounced the use of force to take what it views as a renegade province, and Xi has said that unification is inevitable.
His government warned this week that a vote for independence-leaning candidate Lai poses a ‘severe danger’ to the island’s future.
After weeks of strong rhetoric over the Taiwan vote from Beijing – but little coverage in Chinese state media to the domestic audience – the 7pm state television news broadcast Xinwen Lianbo made no mention of the vote.
Chinese warplanes and naval ships probe Taiwan’s defences almost daily and Beijing has also staged massive war games in recent years – simulating a blockade of the island and sending missiles into its surrounding waters.
The Chinese military said the night before the polls that it would ‘take all necessary measures to firmly crush ‘Taiwan independence’ attempts of all forms‘.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met a senior Chinese official in Washington hours before the vote and stressed the importance of ‘maintaining peace and stability’ across the Taiwan Strait.
It comes as an expert has warned in a new report that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would leave 500,000 dead, devastate the global economy and spread Beijing’s already growing influence.
Darren Spinck, a researcher specialising in Indo-Pacific Studies, warned that such an assault would upend sea and trade routes, disrupt global supply chains and – crucially – could destroy Taiwan’s semiconductor foundries.
This, he said, would have a detrimental impact on the UK economy – which is increasingly reliant on maintaining relations across the Taiwan Strait as it continues to make a post-Brexit tilt into the Indo-Pacific region.
Taiwan produces 90 percent of the world’s advanced chips, the brains in all modern electronic equipment, and any shortage in semiconductors has been described as ‘catastrophic’ to both the UK and the global economy by experts.
What’s more, Spinck warns that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would allow Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) to ‘ project power past Taiwan in the First Island Chain and north toward Japan‘ and into the Second Island Chain.
The human cost, too, would be devastating. The Pentagon has estimated as many as 500,000 people could be killed should a conflict between China and Taiwan occur, while millions more could be forced to flee the region.
