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Taiwan election: Ruling party candidate wins tightly contested presidential race, upsetting China's ambitions
Fox News ^ | Peter Aitken , Eryk Michael Smith Fox News

Posted on 01/13/2024 7:17:37 AM PST by FreeReign

Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate William Lai, also known by his Chinese name of Ching-te, has emerged victorious after a tightly contested presidential election as the island’s next leader, Fox News Digital confirms.

"The results are in, and Taiwan’s voters stood up to China and all its war talk of recent weeks," Gordon Chang, Gatestone Institute Senior Fellow and China expert, told Fox News Digital. "Free people, living just a hundred miles from the menacing Chinese state, refused to be intimidated."

Lai, defeated his rival, New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih of the Kuomintang (KMT) party, by just over 7% of the vote after Hou conceded at 8 p.m. local time. Taiwan saw around 69% of voters turnout for the election this year - less than the impressive 75% seen in the 2020 election, which saw 13.6 million people turn out to vote, but more than the 66% that turned out for the 2016 election, according to the Taipei Times.

The victory marks DPP's third successive win over KMT for the first time since Taiwan began democratic elections over 30 years ago - the first time a party has done so, with parties retaining control for no more than 8 years before switching places as voter sentiment swayed between the two major parties.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: taiwan
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1 posted on 01/13/2024 7:17:37 AM PST by FreeReign
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To: FreeReign

China will not sit idly by and just accept the outcome of this election as it currently stands. It just means the fight will now have to escalate as far as China is concerned. Expect a kinetic outbreak of some sort with a blockade being China’s next step. This conflict has a lot more significance to the U.S. National Security than Ukraine ever did.


2 posted on 01/13/2024 7:50:14 AM PST by Robert DeLong
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To: FreeReign

Guess they didn’t use Dominion machines.


3 posted on 01/13/2024 7:51:56 AM PST by ryderann
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To: FreeReign

Mixed results. Turnout not as high as 2016, but higher than 2020.

It would seem unlikely that this event would be the direct cause of imminent military action by the PRC.


4 posted on 01/13/2024 8:03:22 AM PST by Fury
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To: All

It’s useful to sit back and think about things like this from a perspective of goals.

China has built and is building semiconductor foundries all over the mainland. There is no reason for them to leave Taiwan’s semiconductor base intact.

Bombings and missiles to destroy it all would do what? Eliminate the source of western interest. Then China can sit back and not invade and just go on with life.

Western interest would soon move on. Taiwan might then vote to unite with the mainland.

The point being, when you are dealing with self sufficient entities, the question “what does who have that they might want” is very tricky. Taiwan has nothing China might want, other then historical precedent. That is actually weak. Chiang Kai Shek’s wife persuaded Congress that it was Chinese land — when less than 10 years prior the Japanese had owned it (for decades) and used it for POW camps during WW II.


5 posted on 01/13/2024 8:05:01 AM PST by Owen (.)
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To: Fury

Super high turnout is always a strong indicator of massive voter fraud.

It is not to be celebrated.


6 posted on 01/13/2024 8:06:29 AM PST by cgbg ("Our democracy" = Their Kleptocracy)
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To: ryderann
Guess they didn’t use Dominion machines.

I heard they use paper ballots, hand counted.

No mail-in ballots, either.

7 posted on 01/13/2024 8:07:26 AM PST by FreeReign
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To: Owen

Think about your own post.

Did Japan stop at the Chinese mainland during their expansionist period?

Lol.


8 posted on 01/13/2024 8:07:50 AM PST by cgbg ("Our democracy" = Their Kleptocracy)
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To: cgbg

Japan was about Manchuria.

Japan has no oil. No coal to speak of. No nat gas. Northeast China, at that time Manchuria, now including North Korea, has oil and coal. So what did China have that Japan wanted or needed? Precisely that.

The attack on Pearl was because at that time the US was the Saudi Arabia of the world, exporting California oil elsewhere. Then FDR cut it off from Japan.

The only other source of oil Japan could access would be Indonesia and the US Pacific Fleet would obstruct that, as would US bases on the various islands of the Pacific.

It’s all about what another country wants or needs. And it’s ALWAYS about oil. China’s DaQuing oil fields will go empty, like California and Illinois and indeed, Oklahoma. They are grabbing hard for offshore locales with potential.

It’s all about what somewhere needs.


9 posted on 01/13/2024 8:30:37 AM PST by Owen (.)
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To: Robert DeLong

So I guess in your worldview of appeasement and isolationism, Taiwan might as well surrender now and get it over with to save Taiwanese lives. Right?


10 posted on 01/13/2024 8:31:39 AM PST by Timber Rattler ("To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace." --George Washington)
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To: FreeReign

I don’t think China will attack Taiwan. Since Taiwan is not a threat to China, there would be nothing to gain from destroying it; they want it intact. It would turn out like Russia and Ukraine; Russia could obliterate Ukraine but what would they have accomplished?

China will seek to overcome Taiwan the same way they have succeeded in overcoming Biden — corrupt buy out.

Taiwan does in fact have the ability to inflict major damage to China, on an invasion force or China itself. I suppose the vulnerability of the dam is on Xi’s mind, a prohibitive cost.


11 posted on 01/13/2024 8:38:45 AM PST by odawg
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To: Fury

China would probably prefer the KMT candidate, but Lai has become much more pragmatic and practical over the years and he’s a known, government and DPP party apparatchik.

Its really more a “status quo” result than anything. Probably about what China was expecting.


12 posted on 01/13/2024 8:55:26 AM PST by PGR88
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To: odawg

I don’t anticipate that Red China will attack Taiwan unless the Russians defeat the Ukrainians, which has not happened despite almost two years of attempts. They would count on Russia to threaten Armenia, Poland, or the Baltic States to keep America tied down. Remember that the PLA is untested in combat.


13 posted on 01/13/2024 9:08:20 AM PST by Wallace T.
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To: Timber Rattler
No, I am saying that is a fight worth fighting, because it actually has an impact upon America's National Security. Will we be able to after wasting resources on securing Ukraine's sovereignty?

Who is Biden really helping in Ukraine? After all, did the Biden family not receive a 3.5 million payment from the wife of a Russian mayor? Let's also noy forget how Biden is helping both Iran & China. Can you be sure he isn't helping Russia? Because the help he has been giving Ukraine doesn't see to be effective, however, it is rapidly diminishing the capabilities of the US.

That is why I keep urging you useful idiots to wake up. but to no avail, because you Ukraine/Zelensky cheerleaders just can't grasp the reality of what is taking place here.

In fact, you might wake up when you see Biden totally ignore Taiwan's plight, but I have my doubts, because that would require critical thinking skills.

14 posted on 01/13/2024 9:29:54 AM PST by Robert DeLong
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To: Robert DeLong

“ This conflict has a lot more significance to the U.S. National Security than Ukraine ever did.”

Yes. 100%

But Chicoms will spin their wheels.

They need Taiwan investment.


15 posted on 01/13/2024 10:51:05 AM PST by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
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To: ryderann

“ Guess they didn’t use Dominion machines.”

Nope.

Get this — they closed the polls at the designated time and counted ballots in full view of everyone.

Anyone could observe and did.

They had a winner in a few hours.

Counting was done 100% out in the open for everyone to see.


16 posted on 01/13/2024 10:53:51 AM PST by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
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To: ifinnegan; All

Candidate strongly opposed by China wins Taiwan’s presidential election

Candidate Lai Ching-te emerged victorious in Taiwan’s presidential election on Saturday, a result that will determine the trajectory of the self-ruled democracy’s contentious relations with China over the next four years.

https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-china-election-cbf44565b771cddfb60c2a26d2014b0c


Get this — they closed the polls at the designated time and counted ballots in full view of everyone.

Anyone could observe and did.

They had a winner in a few hours.

Counting was done 100% out in the open for everyone to see.


Dems are aghast at this ! ! ! !


17 posted on 01/13/2024 11:13:06 AM PST by Texan4Life
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To: FreeReign

Taiwan has gone full zeeper.


18 posted on 01/13/2024 3:07:08 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: FreeReign

Taiwan has gone full zeeper.


19 posted on 01/13/2024 3:07:13 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: FreeReign

Taiwan has gone full zeeper.


20 posted on 01/13/2024 3:07:16 PM PST by nickcarraway
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