LAI Ching-te, the presidential candidate for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Taiwan’s ruling party, won an election on Jan 13 that China had framed as a choice between war and peace.

The candidate for Taiwan’s main opposition party the Kuomintang (KMT), Hou Yu-ih, conceded defeat in the election.

Lai’s DPP, which champions Taiwan’s separate identity and rejects China’s territorial claims, was seeking a third term, unprecedented under Taiwan’s current electoral system.

Lai had faced two opponents for the presidency – Hou and former Taipei mayor Dr Ko Wen-je of the small Taiwan People’s Party, founded only in 2019.

In the running vote tally reported by Taiwan media, Hou was in second place with some 2.7 million votes, while Ko garnered just over two million.

Speaking to reporters in the southern city of Tainan before voting, Lai had encouraged people to cast their ballots.

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“Every vote is valued, as this is Taiwan’s hard-earned democracy,” he said in brief remarks.

In the run-up to the election, China repeatedly denounced Lai as a dangerous separatist and rebuffed his repeated calls for talks. He says he is committed to preserving peace across the Taiwan Strait and boosting the island’s defences.

Taiwan’s defence ministry said on the morning of Jan 13 it had again spotted Chinese balloons crossing the sensitive strait, one of which flew over Taiwan itself.

The ministry has denounced the spate of balloons reported over the strait in the past month as psychological warfare and a threat to aviation safety.

“Nobody wants war,” said Jennifer Lu, 36, a businesswoman, who was playing on a grass pitch with her daughter after casting a ballot on a sunny morning in Taipei’s Songshan district.

Hou wanted to restart engagement beginning with people-to-people exchanges and has, like China, accused Lai of supporting Taiwan’s formal independence. Lai says Hou is pro-Beijing, which Hou rejects.

Ko has won a passionate support base, especially among young voters, for focusing on bread and butter issues such as the high cost of housing.

He also wanted to re-engage China but insists that cannot come at the expense of protecting Taiwan’s democracy and way of life.

The parliamentary elections are equally important, especially if no party wins a majority, potentially hindering the new president’s ability to pass legislation and spending, especially for defence.

“Compared to previous elections, the result this time is very difficult to predict,” said financial sector worker Liao Jeng-wen, 44, who voted early on Jan 13. “Taiwan’s next leader should think of ways to peacefully get along with China... Many Taiwanese think we should maintain the status quo.”

Incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen is constitutionally barred from standing again after two terms in office. REUTERS