Japan was the first to congratulate president-elect William Lai (賴清德) last night, after the Democratic Progressive Party candidate won the party a third consecutive term in office.
In a statement, the Japanese minister of foreign affairs extended its congratulations to the candidate.
The EU in a separate statement did not mention Lai by name, saying only it “welcomed” the presidential election and congratulates “all the voters who participated in this democratic exercise.”
Photo: Sam Yeh, AFP
“The EU remains concerned about growing tensions in the Taiwan Strait and opposes any unilateral attempt to change the status quo,” the statement by a spokesperson for EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission Josep Borrell said. “The European Union underlines that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are key to regional and global security and prosperity.”
Meanwhile in China, the Chinese Communist Party was reigning in online discussion about the election.
A hashtag about the vote was trending on Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo yesterday morning as polls opened.
However, by midday, searches for “Taiwan election” yielded a notice reading: “According to relevant laws, regulations and policies, the content of this topic is not displayed.”
Some content about the election was still available on the site early in the afternoon, although many posts appeared to come from verified, state-affiliated accounts.
After weeks of strong rhetoric over the Taiwan vote from Beijing — but little coverage in Chinese state media for the domestic audience — the 7pm official China Central Television news program Xinwen Lianbo made no mention of the vote.
In Washington, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hours before the vote asked Beijing to maintain cross-strait stability during a meeting with Liu Jianchao (劉建超), head of the Chinese Communist Party’s international department.
“The two sides had a constructive discussion on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues, including areas of potential cooperation and areas of difference,” US Department of State spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement. “The secretary reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea.”
Beijing did not mention Taiwan in its statement following the talks, instead saying the two sides agreed to “continue to strengthen dialogue and cooperation.”
The USS Ronald Reagan and USS Carl Vinson strike groups were reportedly stationed in the Western Pacific east of Taiwan in a move experts called a clear warning to Beijing, as well as a bid to mediate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
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