While such regional elections normally focus on domestic issues such as Covid-19 and local crime rates, and those elected yesterday will have little direct influence on Taiwan's policy towards the Chinese mainland, Ms Tsai told supporters the context of heightened tensions with Beijing could not be ignored.
Recently handed an unprecedented third term as Chinese president, Xi Jinping has made "reunification" with Taiwan one of his top priorities and said previously that he would achieve this through force if necessary.
Although China views Taiwan as a breakaway province, the island has been self-ruled since the civil war in the late 1940s and enjoys many democratic freedoms and civil liberties that the mainland does not.
This story is from the November 27, 2022 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the November 27, 2022 edition of The Independent.
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