Taiwanese leader secures another term

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s landslide victory on Saturday could spark further tension with China. Tsai secured another four-year term with 57 percent of the vote, while her main opponent from the Nationalist Party emerged with 38.6 percent. In her victory speech, Tsai called for dialogue with China but warned that Taiwan will “never concede to threats.”

How does the outcome affect China? Taiwan has its own laws and military, but China still claims sovereignty over the island under the “one country, two systems” framework. Relations between China and Taiwan have grown increasingly tense under the leadership of Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party. The overwhelming win could encourage the party to pursue formal independence from the mainland. On Sunday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang slammed officials from the United States and other nations who congratulated Tsai on her victory.

Dig deeper: Read my report in World Tour on Taiwan’s move to curtail China’s influence ahead of the election.