Key Points
- Taiwan’s president-elect Lai Ching-te, known as William Lai, has secured an unprecendented third term for the Democratic Progressive Party.
- Lai has reiterated he wants to maintain peace but has a past of showing support for Taiwan’s independence, stoking fears in China.
- Beijing has declared the result not a reflection of “mainstream Taiwan”.
Taiwan’s president-elect Lai Ching-te vowed to defend the self-ruled island from “intimidation” by China, after voters defied warnings from Beijing and swept him to election victory.
Lai, who won a third term for Democratic Progressive Party, reiterated he wanted to keep the status quo with China, which claims Taiwan as its own, throughout his campaign and offered to talk to Beijing.
“We don’t want to become enemies with China. We can become friends,” Lai, widely known by his English name William, told a Taiwanese television station in July.
However in his victory speech on Saturday, Lai said he would maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait while pledging to defend the island from Chinese belligerence.
So why has Taiwan’s next leader been labelled a “troublemaker through and through” by China?
Who is William Lai?
Lai is from a humble background in northern Taiwan, the son of a coal miner who died when the president-elect was a small child.
A physician, the younger Lai specialised in spinal cord injuries.
He became Tsai’s vice president in 2020 when they won in a landslide warning of the threat to Taiwan from China given Beijing’s crackdown on anti-government protests in Hong Kong.
Why does China ‘hate’ William Lai?
The 64-year-old made headlines in 2017 when he spoke about being a “pragmatic worker” for Taiwan’s formal independence — a red line for Beijing.
The former physician maintains he simply meant that Taiwan was already an independent country.
“I think China hates him, really hates him,” said Wu Xinbo, an international relations professor at Shanghai’s Fudan University.
“It is because if he is elected as the leader of Taiwan, he may come to advance his goal of Taiwan independence, which will provoke a crisis across the Taiwan Strait.”
Lai has also interest in strengthening relations with the United States and other liberal democracies, butdistanced himself from his anti-China stance over the course of the campaign.
When will he take power?
Lai will not be formally inaugurated until May 20, with instability expected over the coming months, as Beijing’s dismissed Saturday’s result.
Taiwan Affairs Office of China’s State Council insisted that Taiwan’s elections “cannot stop the unstoppable trend of the eventual reunification of the motherland” and the DPP “cannot represent the mainstream public opinion” in Taiwan, in a statement.
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”.
William Lai Ching-te celebrates amid a shower of confetti during a rally after winning the presidential elections in Taipei, Taiwan, 13 January 2024. Source: EPA / EPA
China has stepped up military pressure on Taiwan in recent years, periodically stoking worries about a potential invasion and in 2021 President Xi Jinping harshly criticised those promoting Taiwan independence.
“Those who forget their heritage, betray their motherland, and seek to split the country will come to no good end, and will be disdained by the people and sentenced by the court of history,” Xi said.
Lai thanked the Taiwanese people for “writing a new chapter in our democracy” by defying one-party-state China’s threats and warnings.
How has the world reacted to his win?
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.
Many countries engage with Taiwan through unofficial or non-governmental channels, though without recognising it diplomatically, instead recognising only China, in line with Beijing’s “one-China” policy.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Lai on his election and hailed Taiwan’s “robust democratic system,” while President Joe Biden said that “we do not support independence”.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa praised Lai’s victory while vowing to deepen Tokyo’s nongovernmental cooperation with Taiwan.
Calling for the “two sides of the Taiwan Strait” to “resolve differences peacefully”, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron also congratulated Lai.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs congratulated Lai and the people of Taiwan “on the peaceful exercise of their democratic rights”.
“The smooth conduct of the elections is a testament to the maturity and strength of Taiwan’s democracy,” it said in a statement.
“Australia looks forward to continuing to work with Taiwan to advance our important trade and investment relationship, as well as our deep and longstanding educational, scientific, cultural and people-to-people ties.”
