Taiwanese voters swept the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) presidential candidate Lai Ching-te into power on January 13, strongly rejecting Chinese pressure to spurn him, as China said it would not give up on achieving "reunification."
Lai's party, which champions Taiwan's separate identity and rejects China's territorial claims, was seeking a third successive four-year term, unprecedented under Taiwan's current electoral system. Lai said he would maintain the status quo in relations across the Taiwan Strait, but that he was "determined to safeguard Taiwan from threats and intimidation from China."
However, in a measure of public frustration at domestic issues like the high cost of housing and stagnating wages after eight years in power, the DPP lost its majority in parliament, making Lai's job harder in passing legislation.
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