Taiwan looks set to elect Lai Ching-te as its next leader after the main opposition candidate conceded, lining up a man Beijing has labeled an “instigator of war” for the presidency.
The Kuomintang’s Hou Yu-ih congratulated Lai for his victory on Saturday evening in Taipei, and apologized for disappointing his voters, in an effective admission of defeat. The KMT is China’s preferred negotiating partner and Hou had vowed to restart talks with President Xi Jinping’s government if elected.
Lai will announce victory at a briefing later, according to person familiar with the matter. The Taiwan People’s Party, which has been tracking in third place, is also set to announce defeat, according to a person familiar with its decision.
A record third straight term in power for the Democratic Progressive Party would deal a blow to Beijing, which had warned that Lai’s election could trigger a conflict. China considers Taiwan a breakaway province that it has vowed to reclaim someday, and US President Joe Biden has pledged to defend the island in any invasion.
A Lai victory would test the recent stabilization of ties between Beijing and Washington, after Biden and Xi held talks in November last year. Any renewal of tensions between the two superpowers raises the risk of a miscalculation in the Taiwan Strait spiraling into a conflict.