<\/p>\n
Taiwan told China on Sunday to \u201cface reality\u201d and respect its election result, after voters defied Beijing\u2019s warnings and chose pro-sovereignty candidate Lai Ching-te as president.<\/p>\n
Voters spurned Beijing\u2019s repeated calls not to vote for Lai, delivering a comfortable victory<\/a> for a man China\u2019s ruling Communist Party sees as a dangerous separatist.<\/p>\n Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its territory and has never renounced force to bring it under its control, responded to Lai\u2019s victory by saying it would not change the \u201cinevitable trend of China\u2019s reunification\u201d.<\/p>\n Lai, of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), had vowed to defend the island from China\u2019s \u201cintimidation\u201d and on Sunday Taipei\u2019s foreign ministry told Beijing to accept the result.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on the Beijing authorities to respect the election results, face reality and give up suppressing Taiwan in order for positive cross-strait interactions to return to the right track,\u201d it said in a statement.<\/p>\n An unofficial US delegation sent by President Joe Biden\u2019s administration will arrive in Taipei on Sunday, a move sure to draw condemnation from Beijing.<\/p>\n The delegation, including a former US national security adviser and a former deputy secretary of state, will meet \u201ca range of leading political figures\u201d on Monday, the island\u2019s de facto US embassy said in a statement.<\/p>\n China on Sunday condemned a statement by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulating Lai on his win.<\/p>\n \u201cWe strongly deplore and firmly oppose this, and have made serious representations to the US side,\u201d a foreign ministry spokesperson said.<\/p>\n They added that Washington\u2019s statement \u201cseriously violates the one-China principle\u201d as well as its pledge to only maintain unofficial ties with Taiwan.<\/p>\n \u201cWe urge the US to stop its official interaction with Taiwan and stop sending any wrong signal to the separatist forces for \u2018Taiwan independence,\u2019\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n After a campaign marked by diplomatic pressure from Beijing and near-daily incursions by Chinese fighter jets, Lai beat his nearest rival Hou Yu-ih of the Kuomintang (KMT) on Saturday by more than 900,000 votes.<\/p>\n In his victory speech, the 64-year-old Lai congratulated voters for refusing to be swayed by \u201cexternal forces\u201d trying to influence the election.<\/p>\n He said he wanted to cooperate with China \u2014 Taiwan\u2019s biggest trade partner \u2014 and maintain peace and stability, but pledged not to be cowed by Chinese belligerence.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are determined to safeguard Taiwan from continuing threats and intimidation from China,\u201d he told supporters.<\/p>\n Four Chinese naval vessels were seen in waters around the island on polling day, according to Taiwan\u2019s defence ministry, and one high-altitude balloon passed over.<\/p>\n China warned Taiwan\u2019s voters in the days leading up to the election to make the \u201ccorrect choice\u201d, saying that Lai would take the island closer to war.<\/p>\n Lai will take power on May 20 alongside his vice-presidential pick Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan\u2019s former representative to the United States.<\/p>\n Both were the targets of disinformation efforts during the campaign that experts linked to China.<\/p>\n Turnout of 72 per cent showed an enthusiastic electorate and voter Tsai Jin-hui said on Sunday Beijing should mind its own business.<\/p>\n\u2018External forces\u2019<\/h2>\n