Taiwan’s president-elect Lai Ching-te: How China, US and Russia reacted to his election

Taiwan elections 2024: Lai Ching-te, candidate of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP), won the Taiwan election held on Saturday, January 13. Both China and the United States reacted sharply to the latest polls as the DPP secured unprecedented third consecutive term in the nation.

Taiwan's election took place at a time of growing geopolitical tensions between Beijing and Washington. China claims Taiwan as its own. But Lai's party rejects China's territorial claims. It is speculated that Taiwan's president-elect Lai Ching-te may have to deal with the ire of China which has repeatedly denounced him as a "dangerous separatist".

Taiwan elections: How China reacted to Lai Ching-te's victory?

China said on Saturday "reunification" with Taiwan was still "inevitable" after president-elect Lai Ching-te won the pivotal election on the self-ruled island, AFP reported. The election "will not impede the inevitable trend of China's reunification", Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Chen Binhua said in a statement published by state news agency Xinhua.

The spokesperson was quoted as saying that the vote "will not change the basic landscape and development trend of cross-Strait relations". He said Beijing "firmly oppose(s) the separatist activities aimed at 'Taiwan independence' as well as foreign interference". Chen Binhua said the results did not “represent mainstream public opinion on the island” of 23 million people.

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China strongly opposes Lai. In Beijing's view, Lai, 64, is a separatist and "troublemaker through and through" for comments he first made in 2017 as premier about being a "worker" for Taiwan's formal independence - a red line for Beijing.

How US reacted

The US, which is Taiwan's main military partner, said it does "not support independence' of Taiwan. "We do not support independence..." US President Joe Biden was quoted by Reuters as saying when asked for reaction to Saturday's elections.

Earlier, the US had pledged support for whichever government emerges. In a show of support for the government, Biden plans to dispatch an unofficial delegation to the self-governed island, according to a senior Biden administration official.

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Lai Ching-te on his victory and said the US "is committed to maintaining cross-strait peace and stability, and the peaceful resolution of differences, free from coercion and pressure." He said the US looks forward to working with Lai and leaders of all parties in Taiwan to advance their "longstanding unofficial relationship, consistent with the US one China policy."

The United States is Taiwan's most important international backer and arms supplier despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties with the island.

How Russia reacted

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman said Russia's position on Taiwan is unchanged and that the country considers it an integral part of China, TASS reported.