Taiwan's incoming president promises to protect the island against coercion by China.
KJSS
India
15-01-2024
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Following voter defiance against Beijing's warnings and a landslide victory in the election, Taiwan's president-elect, Lai Ching-te, warned on Saturday to protect the self-governing island from "intimidation" by China. After a boisterous effort in which he positioned himself as a defender of Taiwan's democratic way of life, Lai—whom Beijing has described as a threat to peace in the hotspot region—secured an unprecedented third consecutive term for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the poll on Saturday.
The democratic Taiwan, which is divided from the mainland by a strait measuring 180 kilometers (110 miles), is claimed by Communist China, which is willing to use force to achieve "unification" even in the absence of an immediate threat to peace.
Prior to the election, Beijing labeled Lai a "severe danger" and advised people to avoid him. On Saturday, the city said that the outcome would not halt "the inevitable trend of China's reunification".