Taiwan presidential candidate concedes defeat

Opposition candidate Tsai Ing-wen won a landslide victory in Taiwan’s presidential election Saturday, making her the island’s first female president.

“We hope cross-strait relations can be peaceful, can develop, and at the same time maintain the status quo for all parties, including mainland China”, said Tsai, who would become the island’s first woman president.

With his wife and party leaders by his side, the 54-year-old conceded defeat and announced that he was stepping down as party chief.

Taiwan’s newly elected president Tsai Ing-wen has promised she will strive to maintain stability in relations with China, which still sees the country as a breakaway province.

Taiwan has ruled itself since a split with the Chinese mainland in 1949 after a civil war, but has never formally declared independence.

After decades of enmity, current KMT President Ma Ying-jeou has overseen a dramatic rapprochement with China since coming to power in 2008.

That could make relations with China uncertain, because unlike the KMT, the DPP favours Taiwan’s independence and does not recognise the Republic of China (Taiwan’s official name) and the People’s Republic of China as part of “one China”.

The election was held on Saturday in which about 18 million citizens were eligible to vote.

Taiwan’s next president could be its first female leader, in a position that some say is the most powerful Chinese-speaking leader in the world.

If someone obstinately sticks to the secessionist stance or acts as a troublemaker for regional stability, Taiwan’s stability and development would be sheer empty talk and disappointed Taiwan voters would throw out such a scourge during the next election.

“This is about working to overcome the obstacles in Taiwan’s path”, Tsai told supporters in the rain at a final rally Friday night in front of the presidential office building in the centre of the capital, Taipei. However, the economic benefits of deeper integration with China did not materialize for most ordinary citizens, and many voters, especially younger ones, have grown resistant to the idea that China is trying to exert too much control over Taiwan.

“We want to stress that we always uphold the “One China” (policy), oppose Taiwan independence, oppose two Chinas”, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in response to a question on a probable Tsai victory.

The DPP has never recognised the consensus. “We really need more focus on the basic issues of people’s livelihood”.

Analysts also agree there will not be any immediate backlash from China, as alienating Taiwan would play against Beijing’s ultimate aim of reunification.

There are also parliamentary elections Saturday, with the KMT risking losing its majority in the legislature. Beijing is Taiwan’s largest trading partner.