A US and a number of foreign missions in Taiwan last night extended congratulations to President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on her re-election.
Tsai, of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), won a landslide victory over her Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rival, Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), with People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) trailing far behind them both.
The US hailed Tsai’s victory as a demonstration of Taiwan’s “robust democratic system.”
Photo: CNA
The US Department of State, in a statement issued late last night, praised Tsai for developing a strong partnership with Washington and for her “commitment to maintaining cross-strait stability in the face of unrelenting pressure.”
“Under her leadership, we hope Taiwan will continue to serve as a shining example for countries that strive for democracy, prosperity, and a better path for their people,” it said.
It also congratulated Taiwan “for once again demonstrating the strength of its robust democratic system, which — coupled with a free market economy and a vibrant civil — makes it a model for the Indo-Pacific region and a force for good in the world.”
German Institute Taipei Director-General Thomas Prinz had earlier posted a message of congratulations on Facebook, saying that Germany and Taiwan not only have deep exchanges in areas of economy, academia, business and culture, but share the same values.
“Freedom, democracy, rule of law and human rights are the prerequisite foundation of running the country for both Germany and Taiwan, and you and your policies fully exemplify these values,” Prinz wrote.
Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Chief Representative Hiroyasu Izumi also posted a congratulatory message on Facebook.
“I feel extremely honored to be able to continue our collaboration with Tsai on elevating the Japan-Taiwan relations to the next level,” Izumi wrote.
Less than two hours after vote counting began following the polls closing, Finnish member of parliament Mikko Karna posted congratulations on Twitter.
“Already at this point of the count I feel safe to say: Congratulations Ms. @iingwen, The President of ROC #Taiwan!” wrote Karna, who is a chair of the Finnish-Taiwanese parliamentary friendship group.
“I am looking forward to visit your fantastic country next summer,” he wrote, adding: “Finland and Taiwan must maintain and further strengthen their bilateral relations.”
As of press time, there had been no response from Beijing.
Additional reporting by AFP
This story has been updated since it was first published.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their
RSS