Taiwanese voters elected an anti-China, pro-sovereignty candidate as the island’s next president

Taiwanese politics is divided between “green” parties, which see Taiwan as independent from China, and “non-green” parties, which support closer ties to it

Taiwan’s current president represents the DPP, a “green” party

Since taking office in 2016, she has claimed that Taiwan is a sovereign state, which runs counter to China’s stance that Taiwan is rightfully part of it

She has also strengthened Taiwan’s ties to the US and built up its military to resist invasion

Taiwan held a presidential election on Saturday in which the current president was term-limited

The race pitted the current vice president – Lai Ching-te, a DPP candidate who also calls Taiwan sovereign and supports further arming the island – against two “non-green” candidates

With all votes counted and 71.86% voter turnout, DPP candidate Lai won 40.1% of the vote, versus 33.49% and 26.46% for his opponents

That marked a record third-straight presidential victory for the DPP

However, the DPP lost control over Taiwan’s legislature, casting doubt over the future of Lai’s legislative agenda

In a statement, Lai declared his win a “victory for the community of democracies” of the world

He also praised voters for resisting “external forces” that sought to influence the election, i.e., China’s denunciation of the DPP

He added that he is “determined to safeguard Taiwan from threats and intimidation from China”

In a statement, China reaffirmed its stance on “resolving the Taiwan question and realizing national reunification”

It also cited the fact that non-green parties received a larger percentage of the vote than green parties as proof that Taiwanese people seek reunification

The results revealed that the DPP “cannot represent the mainstream public opinion,” China said

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