Anti-communist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Lai Ching-te won Taiwan’s presidential election on Saturday, defeating his two leftist rivals on a campaign emphasizing Taiwan’s sovereignty in the face of mounting threats from China.
By Frances Martel, BREITBART 13 January 2024
Taiwan’s President-elect Lai Ching-te (centre L) and his running mate Hsiao Bi-khim (centre R) attend a rally outside the headquarters of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Taipei on January 13, 2024, after winning the presidential election. Taiwan’s ruling party candidate Lai Ching-te, branded a threat to peace by China, on January 13 won the island’s presidential election, a vote watched closely from Beijing to Washington. (Photo by ALASTAIR PIKE / AFP)
Lai, sometimes referred to by his Western name, William Lai, is the current vice president and the first candidate to secure a third term for a political party in the young history of Taiwanese democracy. As a former physician, Lai rose to prominence as an authority figure during the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, during which Taiwan distinguished itself as the first nation to alert the World Health Organization – in vain – to the spread of a novel disease in China and for its performance in containing infections and preventing widespread death.
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