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| Taiwan elects first female president, who vows to defend island’s sovereignty | Taiwan elects first female president, who vows to defend island’s sovereignty |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| TAIPEI — Taiwanese opposition leader Tsai Ing-wen won a landslide victory in the island’s presidential election Saturday to become its first female leader, telling China she wanted stable relations but would defend her country’s sovereignty and dignity. | |
| Tsai vowed to work with China to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, but Beijing responded to the results frostily, saying good relations depended on her renouncing any prospect of Taiwan ever achieving formal independence from the mainland — something she is unlikely to do. | |
| Tsai, head of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), received more than 56 percent of votes, way ahead of Eric Chu of the ruling Nationalists, or Kuomintang (KMT), with 31 percent. | |
| For eight years, the KMT had promised that improving ties with China would rescue Taiwan’s ailing economy, but although ties did improve, economic growth slowed further, and the argument was firmly rejected by voters Saturday. | |
| Now, victory for the more independence-minded DPP raises the prospect of a new era of uncertainty in relations with China. Tsai vowed to maintain good relations with Beijing and signaled some flexibility by saying she was prepared to move past partisan politics on the issue. But she also vowed to protect Taiwan’s sovereignty. | |
| “I also want to emphasize that both sides have a responsibility to find mutually acceptable means of interaction that are based on dignity and reciprocity,” she said in a television news conference on Saturday night. “We must ensure that no provocation or accidents take place.” | |
| “Our democratic system, national identity and international space must be respected,” she said. “Any forms of suppression will harm the stability of cross-strait relations.” | “Our democratic system, national identity and international space must be respected,” she said. “Any forms of suppression will harm the stability of cross-strait relations.” |
| The U.S. State Department said it looked forward to working with Tsai. “We share with the Taiwan people a profound interest in the continuation of cross-Strait peace and stability,” it said in a statement. | |
| But China responded with a vow to “resolutely oppose any form of separatist activities seeking ‘Taiwan independence,’ ” and a demand Tsai renounce that idea. | |
| “On major issues of principle concerning national sovereignty and territorial integrity, our will is firm as rock and our attitude is consistent,” China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said in a statement. “We are willing to strengthen contact and exchange with any parties and groups that recognize that the two sides belong to one China.” | |
| [An opposition leader prepares to take helm in Taipei, and Beijing is rattled] | [An opposition leader prepares to take helm in Taipei, and Beijing is rattled] |
| On China’s Sina Weibo microblogging site, Tsai’s name and the phrase “Taiwan elections” were both blocked. “According to the relevant laws, regulations and policies, the results of this search cannot be displayed,” the service showed. | |
| On the surface, this election was all about current President Ma Ying-jeou’s failure to breathe life back into one of Asia’s former economic tigers. But at a deeper level, the vote was about Taiwan’s efforts to find its feet after two decades as a democracy and reimagine itself as a nation quite separate from its Communist big brother across the Taiwan Strait. | |
| “Regardless of how you voted, the exercise of democratic expression was the most important meaning of this election,” Tsai told the Taiwanese people in a televised news conference, before addressing thousands of cheering and flag-waving supporters in central Taipei. | |
| Forty-year-old bank teller Chang Bi-hua said she had cried as the crowd chanted “Hello, President.” Her friend Wesley Peng said the result had been expecting but was still exciting and offered the chance for a “bright future,” a sentiment echoed by many. “Everybody is very excited about the change,” said 32-year-old Danny Lin. “Democracy in Taiwan has been noticed across the world — that is a national value of Taiwan.” | |
| Closer integration with China over the past eight years has helped cross-strait trade and tourism to boom, but Ma’s “open-door” policy benefited business tycoons more than ordinary people. The economy, as a whole, is thought to have barely expanded by 1 percent last year. | |
| “Wealth inequality increased while the KMT was in office,” 38-year-old engineer Wang Wei-min said after voting, his 8-month-old daughter sleeping in a baby carrier on his chest and his wife at his side. “I want my daughter to grow up in a society of freedom and opportunity, where resources are not cornered by the wealthy.” | “Wealth inequality increased while the KMT was in office,” 38-year-old engineer Wang Wei-min said after voting, his 8-month-old daughter sleeping in a baby carrier on his chest and his wife at his side. “I want my daughter to grow up in a society of freedom and opportunity, where resources are not cornered by the wealthy.” |
| Tsai focused her campaign resolutely on domestic concerns, employment and housing, modernizing the economy and forming a government that is closer to the people. But China loomed like a shadow over the election. | Tsai focused her campaign resolutely on domestic concerns, employment and housing, modernizing the economy and forming a government that is closer to the people. But China loomed like a shadow over the election. |
| Beijing still views Taiwan as part of its territory and threatens to use force if it ever declares independence. It has found a degree of accommodation with the KMT after both sides agreed, in 1992, on the idea that there was “one China,” even though they disagree on who the island’s rightful rulers are. That is known as the 1992 consensus. | Beijing still views Taiwan as part of its territory and threatens to use force if it ever declares independence. It has found a degree of accommodation with the KMT after both sides agreed, in 1992, on the idea that there was “one China,” even though they disagree on who the island’s rightful rulers are. That is known as the 1992 consensus. |
| [China, Taiwan leaders pledge peaceful ties at historic encounter] | [China, Taiwan leaders pledge peaceful ties at historic encounter] |
| Tsai wants to maintain the status quo of de facto independence and has refused to endorse the “one China” principle — because that would mean renouncing any possibility of eventual formal independence. | |
| How Beijing would react to a Tsai presidency was one of the big unanswered questions going into Saturday’s vote, and it was a question the KMT tried to ruthlessly exploit, warning of “chaos” and “catastrophe,” of economic fallout and security risks if Tsai should win. | How Beijing would react to a Tsai presidency was one of the big unanswered questions going into Saturday’s vote, and it was a question the KMT tried to ruthlessly exploit, warning of “chaos” and “catastrophe,” of economic fallout and security risks if Tsai should win. |
| Voting at a polling booth set up beside a Catholic Church on Saturday, 48-year-old baker James Chu agreed. “Tsai hasn’t explained how she’ll deal with the question of Taiwan’s independence,” he said. “If Taiwan wants development, it must cooperate with China, but that conflicts with her party’s principles.” | |
| [Beijing warns Taiwan against ditching ‘one China’ pact as election nears] | [Beijing warns Taiwan against ditching ‘one China’ pact as election nears] |
| Yet most other voters were obviously not swayed by that argument. That’s partly because many had grown uncomfortable with Taiwan’s growing dependence on China under Ma, partly because they trust Tsai to handle cross-strait relations sensibly, but also because her victory would reflect a fundamental shift in the way Taiwanese people think of themselves, experts say. | Yet most other voters were obviously not swayed by that argument. That’s partly because many had grown uncomfortable with Taiwan’s growing dependence on China under Ma, partly because they trust Tsai to handle cross-strait relations sensibly, but also because her victory would reflect a fundamental shift in the way Taiwanese people think of themselves, experts say. |
| “I care more about domestic affairs than I do about cross-strait relations,” engineer Wang said. “I believe Tsai can do a better job for Taiwan’s domestic affairs.” | |
| More and more, the people of this island think of themselves not as Chinese people, nor even so much as both Taiwanese and Chinese, but as exclusively Taiwanese, polls indicate. | |
| It is a process that really got underway after Taiwan became a democracy, and that has accelerated as ties with China have blossomed under Ma’s presidency. | It is a process that really got underway after Taiwan became a democracy, and that has accelerated as ties with China have blossomed under Ma’s presidency. |
| “The more contact people have had with China, the more they feel: ‘China’s great, but it’s just not us,’ ” said Nathan Batto, an assistant research fellow at Academia Sinica in Taipei. | |
| At the root of this shift lie two very different histories in the 20th century, different cultures and fundamentally different political systems, Batto said. | At the root of this shift lie two very different histories in the 20th century, different cultures and fundamentally different political systems, Batto said. |
| “Democracy is a core part of Taiwan’s political identity now,” he said. | “Democracy is a core part of Taiwan’s political identity now,” he said. |
| The issue of Taiwan’s identity and its unequal relationship with China was also inflamed on election day, after a 16-year-old Taiwanese pop singer was forced to make a humiliating apology to China for waving a Taiwanese flag on Korean television. Chou Tzu-yu was apparently forced to affirm her own commitment to “one China” by her South Korean management company, concerned it would damage her sales in China. | |
| [Watch: Teenage pop star’s humiliating apology to China for waving Taiwan flag] | [Watch: Teenage pop star’s humiliating apology to China for waving Taiwan flag] |
| Tsai said the incident shook Taiwanese society and angered many people, regardless of their political views. “This particular incident will serve as a constant reminder to me of the importance of our country’s strength and unity to those outside our borders,” she said. | Tsai said the incident shook Taiwanese society and angered many people, regardless of their political views. “This particular incident will serve as a constant reminder to me of the importance of our country’s strength and unity to those outside our borders,” she said. |
| In the elections for the island’s legislature, there was an unlikely victory for metal singer Freddy Lim over an experienced KMT candidate. Lim fronts the band Chthonic, often described as the Black Sabbath of Asia, and has made no secret of his desire for an independent Taiwan and his support for self-determination for the Tibetan people. | |
| [A heavy metal star rocks the vote in Taiwan and gives Beijing a headache] | [A heavy metal star rocks the vote in Taiwan and gives Beijing a headache] |
| Some of Tsai’s supporters also openly declared their desire for an independent homeland, including 40-year-old white-collar worker Celine Chen. “I want the whole world to know that we are Taiwan; we are not China,” she said. | |
| Yet others prefer the middle ground that Tsai has so far chalked out. | Yet others prefer the middle ground that Tsai has so far chalked out. |
| “Tsai is an intelligent woman,” said Gine Shuen, a 37-year-old teacher. “Although she is the leader of the DPP, she doesn’t insist on separating Taiwan from China, nor on making Taiwan too close to China. She keeps an open mind, wants communication and has a tolerant attitude, which is the best way to deal with the cross-strait relationship.” | “Tsai is an intelligent woman,” said Gine Shuen, a 37-year-old teacher. “Although she is the leader of the DPP, she doesn’t insist on separating Taiwan from China, nor on making Taiwan too close to China. She keeps an open mind, wants communication and has a tolerant attitude, which is the best way to deal with the cross-strait relationship.” |
| Xu Jing contributed to this report. | Xu Jing contributed to this report. |
| He fought for democracy in Beijing. Now he is running for office in Taiwan. | He fought for democracy in Beijing. Now he is running for office in Taiwan. |