2024-01-13 15:44:03
China has reaffirmed the “inevitable” reunification of what Beijing sees as a breakaway province following the success of an independence supporter in Taiwan’s presidential election. The election will not prevent this, Beijing Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Chen Binhua said in a statement published by state news agency Xinhua on Saturday.
The previous Vice President Lai Ching-te won the election in Taiwan on Saturday. After counting 99.9 percent of polling stations, the 64-year-old came to 40.1 percent. His biggest opponent Hou Yu-ih from the China-friendly Kuomintang (KMT), who came in second with 33.5 percent, admitted defeat. During the election campaign, Lai announced that if he won, he would continue the outgoing incumbent Tsai Ing-wen’s anti-Beijing policy.
Binhua said China would not tolerate “separatist activities” on the self-ruled island. “We will adhere to the 1992 consensus, which embodies the One China principle,” it said. Beijing also rejects “foreign interference” in this context.
China views Taiwan as a breakaway province that should be reunited with the mainland – if necessary with military force. The outcome of the election was seen as crucial for the future relationship between Taipei and the increasingly aggressive Beijing.
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