Defying China, Taiwan elects William Lai Ching-te as president
It will have to cope with China’s anger
China has no say in Taiwan’s elections, but for months its officials had warned that Taiwan should not choose William Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as their new president. Mr Lai was a separatist whose election would create a “dangerous situation of high winds and urgent waves in the Taiwan Strait”, a spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office threatened. On January 13th Taiwan’s voters elected Mr Lai anyway, ushering in an unprecedented third term for the pro-independence ruling party.
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This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Democracy island”
From the January 20th 2024 edition
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