Taiwan president vows to defend island from China

TAIPEI (AFP) – Taiwan’s president-elect Lai Ching-te vowed Saturday to defend the self-ruled island from “intimidation” by China, after voters defied warnings from Beijing and swept him to election victory.

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Lai – branded by Beijing as a threat to peace in the flashpoint region – secured an unprecedented third consecutive term for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Saturday’s poll after a raucous campaign in which he pitched himself as a defender of Taiwan’s democratic way of life.

Communist China claims democratic Taiwan, separated from the mainland by a 180-kilometer strait, as its own and refuses to rule out using force to bring about “unification,” even if conflict does not appear imminent.

Beijing, which before the poll called Lai a “severe danger” and urged voters to shun him, said Saturday the result would not stop “the inevitable trend of China’s reunification.”

In his victory speech, Lai said he would maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, but pledged to defend the island from Chinese belligerence.

“We are determined to safeguard Taiwan from continuing threats and intimidation from China,” he told supporters.