Japan was the first to congratulate president-elect William Lai (賴清德) last night, after the Democratic Progressive Party candidate won the party a third consecutive term in office.
In a statement, the Japanese minister of foreign affairs extended its congratulations to the candidate.
The EU in a separate statement did not mention Lai by name, saying only it “welcomed” the presidential election and congratulates “all the voters who participated in this democratic exercise.”
Photo: Sam Yeh, AFP
“The EU remains concerned about growing tensions in the Taiwan Strait and opposes any unilateral attempt to change the status quo,” the statement by a spokesperson for EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission Josep Borrell said. “The European Union underlines that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are key to regional and global security and prosperity.”
Meanwhile in China, the Chinese Communist Party was reigning in online discussion about the election.
A hashtag about the vote was trending on Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo yesterday morning as polls opened.
However, by midday, searches for “Taiwan election” yielded a notice reading: “According to relevant laws, regulations and policies, the content of this topic is not displayed.”
Some content about the election was still available on the site early in the afternoon, although many posts appeared to come from verified, state-affiliated accounts.
After weeks of strong rhetoric over the Taiwan vote from Beijing — but little coverage in Chinese state media for the domestic audience — the 7pm official China Central Television news program Xinwen Lianbo made no mention of the vote.
In Washington, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hours before the vote asked Beijing to maintain cross-strait stability during a meeting with Liu Jianchao (劉建超), head of the Chinese Communist Party’s international department.
“The two sides had a constructive discussion on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues, including areas of potential cooperation and areas of difference,” US Department of State spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement. “The secretary reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea.”
Beijing did not mention Taiwan in its statement following the talks, instead saying the two sides agreed to “continue to strengthen dialogue and cooperation.”
The USS Ronald Reagan and USS Carl Vinson strike groups were reportedly stationed in the Western Pacific east of Taiwan in a move experts called a clear warning to Beijing, as well as a bid to mediate tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
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,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
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
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