Advertisement
Taiwan election 2024
ChinaPolitics

Taiwan election: Joe Biden says US does not support independence

  • The US congratulated Taiwan’s president-elect William Lai Ching-te, but also sought to reassure Beijing
  • Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Washington is ‘committed to maintaining cross-strait peace and stability’

Reading Time:5 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
62
US President Joe Biden maintained on Saturday that Washington does not support independence for Taiwan, the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing. Photo: Reuters
Mark Magnierin New York

US President Joe Biden and his top diplomat sought to reassure Beijing in the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s sensitive Taiwan presidential election that saw William Lai Ching-te brought to power against the wishes of mainland China.

“We do not support independence,” Biden told reporters.

This was followed within minutes by a statement from Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulating Lai of the Democratic Progressive Party even as he reiterated the policy architecture that has kept a tenuous peace across the Taiwan Strait for decades. The US is expected to send a delegation of former officials to Taipei in the coming weeks.

“We look forward to working with Dr. Lai and Taiwan’s leaders of all parties to advance our shared interests and values, and to further our long-standing unofficial relationship, consistent with the US one-China policy,“ Blinken said. “The United States is committed to maintaining cross-strait peace and stability, and the peaceful resolution of differences, free from coercion and pressure.”

Blinken also gave a shout out to the democratic process that saw Lai of the independence-leaning DPP elected by 40 per cent compared to 33.5 per cent for his main rival Hou Yu-ih with the Kuomintang and 26.5 per cent for Ko Wen-je from the upstart Taiwan People’s Party. This is the first time any party has won three consecutive terms.

The US congratulated William Lai Ching-te and his running mate Hsiao Bi-khim (right) after their victory in the Taiwanese presidential election on Saturday. Photo: EPA-EFE
The US congratulated William Lai Ching-te and his running mate Hsiao Bi-khim (right) after their victory in the Taiwanese presidential election on Saturday. Photo: EPA-EFE
The US and China have repeatedly sparred over governance, with Washington touting the benefits of democracy under its “allies and partners” strategy and Beijing promoting the order and fast decision-making of authoritarian systems. At the same time, China has sought to redefine democracy in its image, even holding its own “Democracy Forum” in 2021.
Advertisement