12 January

Taiwan's incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen is now headed into a second term after soundly defeating her main rival in Saturday's presidential election.

In a news conference, Tsai said the results have a special significance. She said they show that Taiwan's people will shout their determination even more loudly when their sovereignty and democracy are threatened. Tsai said; "I want to once again call upon the Beijing authorities to remind them that peace, parity, democracy and dialogue are the keys to cross-strait interaction and long-term stable development. These four words are also the only path to bringing together and benefitting both our two peoples."

The Central Election Commission said Tsai had a record more than 8 million votes. That compared with Nationalist Party candidate Han Kuo-yu, who had 5.5 million. Han said earlier he couldn't win as his efforts came up short. "I call on President Tsai to work hard for the next 4 years, so that the people of Taiwan can live happily," Han said. Taiwan's relationship with China became a deciding factor in the election. Tsai capitalized on the Hong Kong protests, calling Beijing's "One Country, Two Systems" principle a failure. Han also criticized this principle, but campaigned on promises to improve relations with China.

The Nationalists said Tsai's tendency to lean toward independence would isolate the territory from the international community. But that failed to resonate with a population worried about Beijing's growing influence.—NHK