Taiwan elects pro-democracy president

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated the winner of Taiwan’s presidential election on Saturday, sparking a rebuke from the Chinese government. President-elect Lai Ching-te opposes Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan. China’s Foreign Ministry said Blinken’s statement “sends a gravely wrong signal.” The United States supports Taiwan’s democratically elected government but does not officially recognize the island’s independence from China.

Who is the president-elect? Lai Ching-te, who also goes by William Lai, is the current vice president of Taiwan. He belongs to the Democratic Progressive Party, which considers Taiwan an independent nation. Lai is a former physician who studied at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Erica Kwong’s report in World Tour about life in Taiwan under Chinese military threats.