A US and a number of foreign missions in Taiwan last night extended congratulations to President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on her re-election.
Tsai, of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), won a landslide victory over her Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rival, Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), with People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) trailing far behind them both.
The US hailed Tsai’s victory as a demonstration of Taiwan’s “robust democratic system.”
Photo: CNA
The US Department of State, in a statement issued late last night, praised Tsai for developing a strong partnership with Washington and for her “commitment to maintaining cross-strait stability in the face of unrelenting pressure.”
“Under her leadership, we hope Taiwan will continue to serve as a shining example for countries that strive for democracy, prosperity, and a better path for their people,” it said.
It also congratulated Taiwan “for once again demonstrating the strength of its robust democratic system, which — coupled with a free market economy and a vibrant civil — makes it a model for the Indo-Pacific region and a force for good in the world.”
German Institute Taipei Director-General Thomas Prinz had earlier posted a message of congratulations on Facebook, saying that Germany and Taiwan not only have deep exchanges in areas of economy, academia, business and culture, but share the same values.
“Freedom, democracy, rule of law and human rights are the prerequisite foundation of running the country for both Germany and Taiwan, and you and your policies fully exemplify these values,” Prinz wrote.
Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Chief Representative Hiroyasu Izumi also posted a congratulatory message on Facebook.
“I feel extremely honored to be able to continue our collaboration with Tsai on elevating the Japan-Taiwan relations to the next level,” Izumi wrote.
Less than two hours after vote counting began following the polls closing, Finnish member of parliament Mikko Karna posted congratulations on Twitter.
“Already at this point of the count I feel safe to say: Congratulations Ms. @iingwen, The President of ROC #Taiwan!” wrote Karna, who is a chair of the Finnish-Taiwanese parliamentary friendship group.
“I am looking forward to visit your fantastic country next summer,” he wrote, adding: “Finland and Taiwan must maintain and further strengthen their bilateral relations.”
As of press time, there had been no response from Beijing.
Additional reporting by AFP
This story has been updated since it was first published.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
Former Taiwan People’s Party chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) may apply to visit home following the death of his father this morning, the Taipei Detention Center said. Ko’s father, Ko Cheng-fa (柯承發), passed away at 8:40am today at the Hsinchu branch of National Taiwan University Hospital. He was 94 years old. The center said Ko Wen-je was welcome to apply, but declined to say whether it had already received an application. The center also provides psychological counseling to people in detention as needed, it added, also declining to comment on Ko Wen-je’s mental state. Ko Wen-je is being held in detention as he awaits trial
RSS