Taiwan election 2024: Lai Ching-te set to become president

UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron hailed the Taiwanese elections as a testament to the island's "vibrant democracy."

"I offer warm congratulations to the people of Taiwan on the smooth conduct of those elections and Dr. Lai Ching-te and his party on his election," Cameron said in a statement posted on the UK government website.  

"I hope that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait will renew efforts to resolve differences peacefully through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion," he said.    

In the first reaction to President-elect Lai Ching-te's win, China said "reunification" with Taiwan is still "inevitable."

Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Chen Binhua said in a statement carried by state news agency Xinhua that the vote "will not impede the inevitable trend of China's reunification."  

Chnia also said that it would not tolerate "separatist activities." 

"We will adhere to the 1992 Consensus that embodies the 'One China' principle and firmly oppose the separatist activities aimed at 'Taiwan independence' as well as foreign interference," Chen said.

Chen said that the Saturday's result would not change the basic landscape of cross-strait relations.

He added that the results showed that Lai's Democratic Progressive Party cannot represent mainstream public opinion on the island, presumably in reference to it winning around 40% support, compared to 33.5% for his nearest challenger. Taiwan's presidential elections work on a winner-takes-all, first-past-the-post basis; an outright majority is not required for victory.

China's Taiwan ambitions are rooted in history.  

In 1949, Chinese nationalists under Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan after losing the war with the communists under Mao Zedong. The communists established control over mainland China, proclaiming the country the People's Republic of China.

Self-ruled Taiwan under the nationalists became officially known as the Republic of China, setting up a government in exile. At first, many major powers recognized it as China's rightful government, but over the years Beijing has been able to establish its position instead. In the meantime, only 12 countries and the Vatican maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has frequently suggested that a reunification with Taiwan will someday occur. Although China has suggested it would be a "peaceful" reunification, the international community is on high alert for a Chinese military invasion of the island.      

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has relayed his country's congratulation to Taiwan for electing president Lai Ching-te on Saturday, while President Joe Biden reiterated the long-standing US position of not supporting Taiwanese "independence."

"We congratulate Dr. Lai Ching-te on his victory in Taiwan's presidential election," Blinken said on social media. "We also congratulate the Taiwan people for participating in free and fair elections and demonstrating the strength of their democratic system."

Meanwhile, when pressed on the issue by reporters in Washington, President Joe Biden stressed: "We do not support independence."

Past comments by Biden on Taiwan had misrepresented the complex US position on the island that dates back to Richard Nixon's presidency, forcing the State Department into a rapid climbdown.

While the formal US position matches China's demands, it remains Taiwan's most important political and military backer. And Beijing often warns the US not to breach its "One China" policy in its dealings with Taipei.

Tokyo has congratulated Lai Ching-te on winning Taiwan's presidency, praising as well what it described as the smooth implementation of the democratic election.

"We expect that the issue surrounding Taiwan will be resolved peacefully through dialogue, thereby contributing to the peace and stability in the region," a statement from the Japanese Foreign Ministry read.

Tokyo described Taiwan as an "extremely crucial partner and an important friend, with which it shares fundamental values and enjoys close economic relations and people-to-people exchanges."

It said it would work toward "further deepening cooperation and exchanges between Japan and Taiwan, based on its position to maintain working relationship on the non-governmental basis." 

That last phrase is a nod to Japan's following the "One China" principle that Beijing insists on. China demands that countries choose between granting formal international recognition either to Beijing or to Taipei — with the vast majority of the world including the US, Japan, Germany and every other NATO member formally recognizing China.

The rally of Lai Ching-te's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was scene to a "huge amount of excitement" akin to a "rock concert atmosphere" once his victory in the election became clear, said DW's chief international editor, Richard Walker.

Speaking from Taipei on Saturday, Walker described the energy and excitement among the crowds.

He also noted how Lai, rather unusually, spoke to assembled international journalists before delivering his victory address to the crowd of supporters.

"I'm not sure i've seen that anywhere else in the world, but I think that is a sign of the seriousness" that Taiwan assigns to both "careful communication to the outside world about what has happened here," as well as "particular communication towards the giant neighbor they have just across the Taiwan Strait,"  Walker said.

Walker said that Lai "committed to the status quo, which in his eyes means that Taiwan is an autonomous democracy and gets on with its own business," but also clearly communicating to Beijing that he does not wish to "rock the boat," as some of China's more confrontative messaging before the election implied. 

Lai Ching-te, the winner of Saturday's presidential election, thanked the people of Taiwan for "writing a new chapter" in his victory speech.

"We are telling the international community that between democracy and authoritarianism, we will stand on the side of democracy," the 64-year-old said.

"The Taiwanese people have successfully resisted efforts from external forces to influence this election," Lai also said in reference to alleged attempts by China to sway the vote for a more pro-Beijing party.

Lai Ching-te, the vice president under outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen, appears to set to win the presidential election after his main opposition conceded defeat.

Lai had been leading with around 40% of the vote according to results that began to come out shortly after polls close.

"Here I congratulate Lai Ching-te and [his running mate] Hsiao Bi-khim on getting elected," Hou Yu-ih, from the main opposition party Kuomintang, said to his supporters.

Lai comes from the Democratic Progressive Party whose period of rule over the self-governing island has increased frictions with neighboring China. Beijing had made clear that it was against Lai's election ahead of the vote.

The current Vice President Lai Ching-te, of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), is leading the field according to the first results coming in.

The Taipei Times reported that Lai was ahead with 43.27% with around 1 in 10 polling stations reporting.

The closest contender was the Kuomintang's Hou Yu-ih on 34.01%, followed by the Taiwan People's Party candidate, Ko Wen-je with 22.72% of the counted votes.

Results were also coming in for the various parliamentary seats, but it was not yet clear which party would come out on top.

If Lai wins the presidency, he may still be stuck with a hung parliament that could hamper any policy goals.

Polls have closed in Taiwan's parliamentary and presidential election.

Close to 17,800 polling stations closed at 4 p.m. (0800 GMT) and counting, by hand, began shortly after.

A clear winner is expected to emerge by Saturday evening as the losing candidates concede.

Turnout appeared to be on track to reach 75%. The island has roughly 19.5 million eligible voters.

Turnout reached a record 82.69% in 2020, but has never fallen lower than two thirds of the electorate.

Europe will "feel the aftereffects" of the election in Taiwan , an Austrian newspaper said in an editorial commenting on the Saturday polls. 

With Brussels looking to scale back its dependence on Beijing, a unified European approach towards China is needed when it comes to Taiwan, according to the Die Presse daily

Beijing is trying to influence Taiwan's presidential election through threats of war and economic pressure, the paper notes.

China regards the self-governing island of Taiwan as a breakaway Chinese province that should eventually rejoin it and has already announced that its military is ready to put down attempts at "Taiwan independence."

"The future of the 21st century will …be determined in the Taiwan Strait," said the editorial in the Die Presse, adding that it is in "Europe's own interest to pull its head out of the sand on the China/Taiwan issue."

The newspaper highlighted Taiwan's critical role in global affairs pointing to its dominance in semiconductor production its strategic location allowing to influence the world's key maritime trade routes. Any crisis in the region is bound to impact European trade, the newspaper said.

Tensions between Beijing and the leaders of Taipei have been on the rise, accompanied by fears of military escalation.

The United States maintains a close yet unofficial relationship with Taiwan, and is pushing its European Union allies to adopt a firmer stance toward Beijing.

Popular Chinese social media platform Weibo blocked the "Taiwan election" hashtag on Saturday after it saw significant traction following the opening of polls in Taiwan.

The hashtag was removed by mid-morning despite getting up to 163.2 million views.

"In accordance with relevant laws, regulations and policies, the content of this topic is not displayed," a notice on the website showed referring to the "Taiwan election" hashtag, according to news agency AFP.

However, users could still view posts on the topic.

Speaking to reporters shortly before casting his vote, Vice President Lai Ching-te encouraged people to go to the polls.

"Every vote is valued, as this is Taiwan's hard-earned democracy," he said.

"I encourage everyone around the country to vote with enthusiasm and show the vitality of Taiwan's democracy," he said.

The Kuomintang's Hou Yu-ih urged the Taiwanese to stay "united" following the elections.

"What we need during the election campaign process is chaos," Hou said. "But after the vote, we must be united and face the future of Taiwan together."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged China to maintain "peace and stability" in the Taiwan Strait.

He made the comments on Friday during a meeting with Liu Jianchao, a top official in the Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee.

"The two sides had a constructive discussion on a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues, including areas of potential cooperation and areas of difference," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

Blinken "reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea," Miller said.

The United States only officially recognizes Beijing and not Taipei but has provided arms to Taiwan. China has not ruled out retaking the island by force.

A day earlier, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said Washington has "deep confidence in Taiwan's democratic process and believes it is for Taiwan voters to decide their next leader free from outside interference."

Also on Thursday, the US Senate passed a resolution hailing Taiwan for the "example it has set for self-governance, not just for the Pacific region, but for the world."

Voting in Taiwan's presidential and parliamentary elections began on Saturday at 8 a.m. local time (0000 UTC).

Polls are set to close at 4 p.m. local time.

Results are likely to come in late on Saturday.

Predictions based on early vote counts will be made available early in the evening.

Beijing has been ramping up efforts to influence the outcome of Taiwan's 2024 election, including economic measures to discourage the Taiwanese electorate from voting for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

The DPP has been attempting to reduce the island's reliance on China, while the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) advocates closer ties.

China is Taiwan's largest trading partner and the world's second-largest economy.

Watch here to see a DW report on China's influence on the election in Taiwan.