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Taiwan election: William Lai’s presidential victory risks further tensions with Beijing
- All eyes will be on mainland China’s reaction to a win for someone it sees as a hardcore separatist and the issue threatens to further cloud relations with US
- Lai was 6½ points ahead of his nearest rival, but his independence-leaning party’s loss of its legislative majority will complicate his approach to Beijing
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William Lai Ching-te claimed a decisive victory in the Taiwanese presidential election on Saturday but his Democratic Progressive Party failed to retain its legislative majority, adding a note of uncertainty to his presidency.
The victory of a candidate whom mainland China has repeatedly branded a “troublemaker” over his stance on independence is expected to further fuel cross-strait tensions.
Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) reacted to the result by saying it could not “stop the general trend” towards “inevitable” reunification.
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The results also threaten to further complicate the fragile relationship between China and the United States because Beijing has repeatedly stressed that the issue is its ultimate red line.
Lai took an early lead when counting began at 4pm, eventually finishing with 40 per cent of the total votes cast, or just under 5.6 million.
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Hou Yu-ih from the mainland-friendly Kuomintang trailed in second place on 33.5 per cent (4.7 million votes), with Ko Wen-je from the upstart Taiwan People’s Party on 26.5 per cent (3.7 million votes), according to the Central Election Commission’s tally.
The election had a turnout of 71.9 per cent – about 14 million people – slightly lower than the 74.9 per cent recorded four years ago.
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