Defying China, Taiwan elects William Lai Ching-te as president

Editor’s note: This piece was updated on Monday 15th January to include China’s response to the election results.

TAIWAN’S VOTERS chose William Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as their new president on January 13th, ushering in an unprecedented third term for the pro-independence ruling party. It was a pivotal election that will determine the democratic island’s approach to Chinese threats over the next four years amid a simmering superpower rivalry between China and America.