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.
People can take the Taipei MRT free of charge if they access it at Nanjing Sanmin Station or Taipei Arena Station on the Green Line between 12am and 6am on Jan. 1, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Friday, outlining its plans to ease crowding during New Year’s events in the capital. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend New Year’s Eve events in Taipei, with singer A-mei (張惠妹) performing at the Taipei Dome and the city government’s New Year’s Eve party at Taipei City Hall Plaza, the department said. As people have tended to use the MRT’s Blue or
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
Taiwanese professional baseball should update sports stadiums and boost engagement to enhance fans’ experience, Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview on Friday. The league has urged Farglory Group and the Taipei City Government to improve the Taipei Dome’s outdated equipment, including relatively rudimentary television and sound systems, and poor technology, he said. The Tokyo Dome has markedly better television and sound systems, despite being 30 years old, because its managers continually upgraded its equipment, Tsai said. In contrast, the Taipei Dome lacked even a room for referees
RSS