The latest elected president of Taiwan is Lai Ching-te, also known as William Lai. He is a Harvard educated physician turned politician and was the vice president before his election. Lai, from the pro-sovereignty Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), won the presidential election with more than 40% of the vote. His party, however, failed to hold onto its parliamentary majority.
President elect Lai has pledged to build consensus, which may moderate some of his policy agenda. He has also stated that he is committed to protecting Taiwan from alleged threats and intimidation from mainland China. China’s reaction has been quite vocal as they framed the election as peace and war, prosperity and decline.
Beijing has repeatedly labeled Lai as a “stubborn worker for Taiwan independence” and a dangerous separatist. After the election, China dismissed the outcome, stating that Taiwan’s ruling DPP does not represent mainstream public opinion. China’s foreign ministry and its embassies around the world have condemned foreign governments that congratulated Taiwan’s DPP and its president-elect Lai Ching-te.
