Taiwanese Voters Snub China By Electing Pro-Independence Party Candidate Again

(RepublicanReport.org) – Increasingly, experts warn that the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War and the increasingly bloody fighting between Israel and the Sunni Islamic group Hamas could lead to further military conflict in the European and Middle Eastern theaters. Likewise, many think China could exploit the situation by asserting its long-standing claim on Taiwan using force. Amid those mounting concerns, Taiwanese voters decided to snub China by electing a pro-independence candidate — again.

On January 13, Taiwan’s nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate, Lai Ching-te, won the nation’s presidential election by securing slightly more than 40% of the vote. The center-right/right-wing candidate, Hou Yu-ih (Kuomintang Party), secured 33.49% of the ballots, and the center-left nominee, Ko Wen-je (Taiwan People’s Party), received 26.45%.

This election represented the first time a political party secured three straight presidential election victories. Bloomberg reported that voters’ decision to allow the DPP to maintain control of the presidency appeared to represent an endorsement of the DPP’s campaign pledge to maintain Taiwan’s political independence from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Inversely, Yu-ih and Wen-je promised to work more with the communist-led country.

During a post-election speech, Ching-te, who currently serves as Taiwan’s vice president, told thousands of supporters that his victory showed the world that Taiwan was committed to preserving democracy. “I hope China can understand [that sentiment],” he added.

Media outlets reported that the DPP’s victory served as a snub to the PRC’s eight years of strong-arm tactics when dealing with the tiny island nation. Chinese President Xi Jinping has referred to Taiwan’s eventual reunification with mainland China as a “historical inevitability.”

A spokesperson for the PRC’s Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a brief statement about Ching-te’s victory. The notice explained that whatever changes his administration might implement, one basic fact won’t change — “there is only one China […] and Taiwan is part of China.”

A spokesperson for the PRC’s Taiwan Affairs office echoed that sentiment, adding that the election’s outcome didn’t represent China’s “mainstream view [of] the island.”