— smile, now you are waiting for william lai? , , , ., william lai? yes. now they are waiting _ william lai? yes. god might yes, now they are waiting for— william lai? yes. god might yes, now they are waiting for the _ william lai? yes. god might yes, now they are waiting for the man - william lai? yes. god might yes, now they are waiting for the man to - william lai? yes. god might yes, now they are waiting for the man to get. they are waiting for the man to get to the _ they are waiting for the man to get to the stage and actually confirm it. , ., to the stage and actually confirm it. , . ., , ., it. on the stage, we are seeing a concession _ it. on the stage, we are seeing a concession speech _ it. on the stage, we are seeing a concession speech from - it. on the stage, we are seeing a concession speech from the - it. on the stage, we are seeing a concession speech from the tpp| it. on the stage, we are seeing a - concession speech from the tpp which makes people that much more confident that things are going to go their way tonight. lode confident that

william lai. this is a victory.ery, very nervous because the numbers were very close and then things change very quickly. the dpp now have a record third term in power with william lai as the new president. thejubilation here is happening against a very tense geopolitical backdrop that you have been speaking about with your guests. china is watching this very closely, we are yet to hear their reaction but what we have been hearing from william lai so far is that very robust stance on the governance of the self ruling ireland on the fact that he is going to do whatever he can to protect taiwan from any intimidation from beijing but also said that if there was an equal footing, if there is dignity maintained for taiwan, he is willing to be in open dialogue. whether or not that'll happen, we don't know. right now, taiwan has its new president and its new vice president and he said that they have to work on the unity of the country, the unity with other parties, and there is a lot of work to do domestically, but also of

many of the voters _ with —— william lai. many of the voters have _ with —— william lai.— voters have said they have to deliver, notjust on safeguarding and maintaining the peace and making sure the _ and maintaining the peace and making sure the defence capabilities are in place. _ sure the defence capabilities are in place. but — sure the defence capabilities are in place, but also on domestic issues. at the _ place, but also on domestic issues. at the heart— place, but also on domestic issues. at the heart of it is economy. the employment and housing. for people here in— employment and housing. for people here in taiwan, they want a lot from their government when it comes to issues _ their government when it comes to issues of— their government when it comes to issues of their daily lives, but in the hack— issues of their daily lives, but in the back of— issues of their daily lives, but in the back of their minds they are thinking — the back of their minds they are thinking how beijing will react the boat _ thinking how bei'ing will react the boat. ., ~ thinking how be

william lai, the now president-elect _ said. william lai, the now president-elect has - said.am lai, the now. president-elect has thanked said. william lai, the now- president-elect has thanked people president—elect has thanked people for turning out, thank the supporters for voting for the dpp and giving them that a record third term in power. he was very robust on the stands were china. he said it his responsibility to maintain safety across the taiwan strait but he vowed to maintain the status quo. he will maintain, safeguard taiwan against any intimidation and aggression from china. this is really at the heart of the selection. remember, thejubilation selection. remember, the jubilation from selection. remember, thejubilation from supporters that their candidate finally won, a due concealed from the flags and confetti flying around. it is happening against a tense geopolitical backdrop. beijing watching because taiwan is their own, they claim. the us is a strong ally to taiwan, added sees it as a partner encountering taiwan's influence and assertiveness in the region. the

china was - worried about william lai and said they have concerns about the result but william lai hasened his rhetoric when it comes to formal independence. yes. softened his rhetoric when it comes to formal independence.— softened his rhetoric when it comes to formal independence. yes, i think that's more — to formal independence. yes, i think that's more what _ to formal independence. yes, i think that's more what beijing _ to formal independence. yes, i think that's more what beijing was - to formal independence. yes, i think that's more what beijing was hoping | that's more what beijing was hoping for, they were pretty sure that he was going to win. he was odds—on favourite to do so and he has in fact won by a clear margin. what they wanted to do was make sure he didn't feel any temptation to push his rhetoric beyond what he had said before and what his predecessor president tsai ing—wen had said, not going for some more radicalform of declared independence. it seems beijing's rhetoric worked to that extent, he stuck to his position but hasn't gone further than he might have done

what has been the response to william lai's victory?— william lai's victory?illiam lai's victory? yes, it is a very curious _ william lai's victory? yes, it is a very curious election - william lai's victory? yes, it is a very curious election in i is a very curious election in that regard. a lot of the taiwanese people we have been speaking to have been very concerned about bread—and—butter issues, but you can't escape from the fact that china, the us, the big world powers, are sort of peering over the shoulders of voters here in taiwan to see which way taiwan voters want to take the self ruled ireland. we know that leading up to the election, as you mentioned, beijing had labelled william lai a troublemaker and a separatist. he was not the candidate that they wanted to see come into power. following lai's victory, beijing's taiwan affairs spokesperson said that the vote will not impede the inevitable trend of china's reunification and will not change the basic landscape of cross strait relations. that is the view from china. they are not happy. they still se

and william lai, . as one nation. and william lai, congratulations _ as one nation.tulations to— as one nation. and william lai, congratulations to him, - as one nation. and william lai, congratulations to him, but - as one nation. and william lai, congratulations to him, but hel congratulations to him, but he must — congratulations to him, but he must understand _ congratulations to him, but he must understand he _ congratulations to him, but he must understand he is- congratulations to him, but he must understand he is coming| congratulations to him, but he i must understand he is coming to this presidency— must understand he is coming to this presidency with _ must understand he is coming to this presidency with a _ must understand he is coming to this presidency with a weak - this presidency with a weak mandate _ this presidency with a weak mandate-— this presidency with a weak mandate. . , , ., ., mandate. one last question to ou. mandate. one last question to yom how _ mandate. one last question to you. how different _ mandate. one last question to you. how dif

and with that, the dpp comes to power for a third time with william lai. with william lai now as themaintaining that policy, something that beijing is not going to be happy about. many of the voters that i've spoken to have said "we have voted, "they're now in power, "they have to deliver", not just on safeguarding and maintaining the peace and making sure that the defense capabilities are in place. but also on domestic issues. at the heart of it is economy, the employment and the housing. so for people here in taiwan, they want a lot from their government when it comes to issues of their daily lives. but in the back of their minds, they're also thinking how beijing is going to react to this vote. well, let's get more analysis on the results that we've seen today here in taiwan. and let's speak with wang wenwen. he's a former chief opinion editor at global times and is now professor and executive dean at chongyang institute for financial studies at renmin university of china. wang wenwen, thanks for your time today. what do you think china's reaction will be to this victory by willia

in the end, william lai won the election by a larger margin than expected. chinese president xi jinping tried to intimidate voters here not to choose him, but failed. this supporters say, if anything, but failed. this supporters say, ifanything, it but failed. this supporters say, if anything, it had the opposite effect. i say, if anything, it had the opposite effect.— opposite effect. i think it probably _ opposite effect. i think it probably says _ opposite effect. i think it probably says to - opposite effect. i think it probably says to china, | opposite effect. i think it i probably says to china, we won't listen to you. we won't listen to you any more. our future will be determined by ourselves. so maybe is using being needs to learn to be quiet during our election. china warned the people of taiwan not to vote for this man. they said he is a troublemaker who will take the island closer to war. well, tonight, they have given their answer, by electing him their new president. speaking to the international media following this victory, president—elect wi

the us government has congratulated william lai on his - congratulated william lai on his victory butiterated its long—standing policy that it does not support the independence of taiwan from china. that matters because i think it's meant as a message of reassurance to beijing. it is the unofficial long—standing policy of support for taiwan that has come from the us that beijing is so wary of and worried about. the importance of thatis worried about. the importance of that is because the united states has, for many years, sold weapons to the taiwanese and the chinese have never ruled out the use of force for the eventual reunification of taiwan to china, as they put it. equally, the us has never ruled out military action... we now enter a period of extended uncertainty while everyone watches to see how beijing will respond to the victory william lai —— victory of william lai but as president biden enters a presidential election year with two crises still raging, conflicts going on in the middle east and ukraine, the last thing he will want its further aggravation with china over the c

firstly, what can you tell us about president elect william lai?sity graduate, former mayor. also harvard graduate, former mayor. also harvard graduate, former mayor. also harvard graduate, former physician, now turned politician and as we know now, current president of taiwan. he said throughout the campaign and in this speech as well that he intends to keep the status quo when it comes to keep the status quo when it comes to relations with china. he is now going to be in office though. what do you make of that? do you think he well? i do you make of that? do you think he well? ~' ., ., well? i think he will maintain status qu0- _ well? i think he will maintain status quo. i— well? i think he will maintain status quo. i think _ well? i think he will maintain status quo. i think he - well? i think he will maintain status quo. i think he is - well? i think he will maintain i status quo. i think he is focused well? i think he will maintain - status quo. i think he is focused on maintaining status quo on both sides of the straight and ensuring that as

china was worried about william lai and they've said they have concerns about the result, but williamsoftened his rhetoric when it comes to formal independence. yes, i think that's more what beijing was hoping for, they were pretty sure that he was going to win. he was odds—on favourite to do so and he has, in fact, won by a pretty clear margin. what they wanted to do was make sure he didn't feel any temptation to push his rhetoric beyond what he had said before and what his predecessor president tsai ing—wen had said, not going for some more radical form of declared independence. it seems beijing's rhetoric worked to that extent — he stuck to his position, but hasn't gone further than he might have done had they not made that particular threat. could you explain for us, because i think it's really important to highlight the fact this isn'tjust about taiwan, this has much broader implications, doesn't it? why is this relationship between china and taiwan so important when it comes to global diplomacy? because, essentially, china and the united states see the status of taiwan in two di

so a new era, then, of president william lai.pecifically with regards to that question of relations with china? ., ., , ., ., , china? china goes out of its wa to china? china goes out of its way to portray _ china? china goes out of its way to portray president - china? china goes out of its l way to portray president elect lai as an unsafe candidate, as a destabilising political actor. if you listen to what william lai says, most recently, he strikes me as someone who is interested in maintaining the status quo. and i think this is something that can sometimes get lost when we look at taiwan's politics, because we instinctively try to look at it in terms of us and china competition. but for the people of taiwan — and frankly this matters the most for them because it is there democracy — the overwhelming sensibility of taiwan is to maintain the status quo. and i think this is something that many of the candidates running agree on. there wasjust a candidates running agree on. there was just a disagreement over what is the best wa

, — william lai, president elect lai, let's_ william lai, president elect lai, let's talk about the trade — lai, let's talk about the trade and the consecutive concession of the — and the consecutive concession of the democratic progressive party — of the democratic progressive party for _ of the democratic progressive party for china. it of the democratic progressive party for china-— party for china. it is interesting - party for china. it is interesting to - party for china. it is interesting to look. party for china. it is l interesting to look at party for china. it is - interesting to look at because as strained as the relations are economics are still heavily intertwined. as he mentioned china is the most export market for and in terms of supply chains and investments that are really, really tight and that is persisted despite the fact that the dpp has been in government since 2016. we have seen moves to try and diversify in the away from china toward the south east each and other western economies, but in reality these moves have been really difficult to implement. china isjust re

they've labelled william lai as a troublemaker. wang wen — former chief opinions writer in the global times — who is in bejing and has brought us reaction from china. actually, i think it's a local elections of china. so that's why i think the china mainland is very, very calm. and, in fact, ithink the taiwan policy in china mainland will not change — at least the three points. first, china must be reunified, and it is bound to be reunified. no situation can split china. second, we want to reunify peacefully but do not promise to give up force. forces are to curb taiwan independence, not for the people of taiwan. it can be said to a certain extent that without taiwan independence, there can be no reunification by force. taiwan independence in the coming four years, so i think the process of using military to promote unification will be faster. no force can make taiwan independence. just to come back on you on that, we've seen democracy in action here in taiwan. free and fair elections, transparent election. does china have a claim

in the end, william lai won the election by a larger margin than expected.paign to intimidate voters here not to choose him failed. his supporters say, if anything, it had the opposite effect. china warned the people of taiwan not to vote for this man. they said he is a troublemaker who will take the island closer to war. well, tonight they have given their answer — by electing him their new president. speaking to the international media following his victory, president—elect lai was quick to offer beijing an olive branch. translation: over the last eight years we have tried - continuously to extend goodwill. unfortunately, china has not responded to these gestures. we hope in the future china will realise peace serves the interests of both sides. for taiwan's main opposition party, the kmt, it was another humiliation. it had run on a platform of getting closer to china. the kmt is the party xi jinping would prefer to see running this island. instead voters gave the party he loathes an historic third presidential win. now everybody is waiting to see how chin

president—elect william lai, what should we know about him?y graduate, former mayor, also harvard graduate, former physician now turned politician. as we know now, current president of taiwan. exactly and he said throughout the campaign, and in this speech as well, that he intends to keep the status quo when it comes to relations with china. he is now going to be in office though. what do you make of that? do you think he will? i think he will maintain status quo. i think he is focused on maintaining status quo on both sides of the strait, offering an olive branch to patient so i think we will see where that goes. think we will see where that noes. ~ . think we will see where that i oes. ~ ., ., think we will see where that noes. ~ . ., goes. we have had some displeasure _ goes. we have had some displeasure from - goes. we have had somej displeasure from beijing. goes. we have had some - displeasure from beijing. how do you think they might react to this more long—term? beijing hasn't ruled out using force to take back taiwan. do you see that

china had warned voters not to vote for the doctor—turned—politician william lai, who represents theocratic progressive party. now, he won 40% of the vote, beating the other two opponents by a wide margin. mr lai's victory could increase tensions with china, which has called mr lai a troublemaker and separatist. china considers taiwan a part of its territory. it has been calling for a — quote — "peaceful reunification" but has not ruled out the use of force. in recent months, the country has ramped up its military presence on the island, heightening fears of a possible conflict. i spoke to the bbc�*s steve lai about the significance of this election. steve, what does this election result mean for taiwan and the region? well, on the surface, helena, this victory means largely more of the same. william lai, now he is succeeding tsai ing—wen, after eight years of her in power, for the dpp, it means more of the same policies. tensions with taiwan are expected to continue. china has already severed ties when tsai ing—wen came to power eight years ago. those are unlikely to be resumed. and

us secretary of state antony blinken congratulated president—elect william lai on saturday.age was seen by beijing as a violation of washington's commitment to maintain only unofficial ties with taiwan. for the very latest, let's take you live to taipei and the bbc�*s steve lai. steve 7 steve? yes, it is notjust words of steve? yes, it is not 'ust words of congratulations _ steve? yes, it is not 'ust words of congratulations from]— steve? yes, it is notjust words of congratulations from the - steve? yes, it is notjust words of congratulations from the united i congratulations from the united states. there's more than that. just yesterday a delegation arrived consisting of former national secured adviser stephenj hadley and former secretary of state. they are set to meet a range of figures today, so that is something we are going to watch out for, and we can also speak to someone right now who has been watching developments that have unfolded over the last few days. bonnie glaser. she's a taiwan—china affairs expert at the german marshall fund of the united states. bonnie, th

is william lai really up to thejob?to be really difficult, to take taiwan through the next four or five years? he's got a lot of experience. i mean, he is one of the most experienced politicians in the ruling democratic progressive party. he's been a legislator, he's been the mayor of tainan city, he's been the premier and he's been the vice president. so if anybody is qualified through experience to do this job, then he is. nevertheless, it is a very difficult and delicate task to perform. interestingly, he has brought as his vice president a woman called bi—khim hsiao, and she is very, very, very knowledgeable and experienced in international relations. she was the representative in washington from taiwan in the last few years. she's a fluent english speaker. her mother's an american. america's support is absolutely key to maintaining the stability here. and i think she will be working very hard to make sure that the us congress and the us administration is solidly behind taiwan. ecuador, situated between colombia and

taiwanese voters have chosen william lai as their president in an historic election cementing a path easingly divergent from neighbouring china, who warned voters not to vote for the doctor—turned—politican. mr lai, who represents the democratic progressive party, won 40% of the vote, beating the other two opponents by a wide margin. he has broken new ground, winning an unprecedented third consecutive presidential term for his party. but the win could also increase tensions with china, who have called mr lai a troublemaker and separtist. china considers taiwan a part of its territory and has been calling for a "peaceful reunification" but has not ruled out the use of force. in recent months the country has ramped up its military presence on the island, heightening fears of a possible conflict. rupert wingfield—hayes has more, from the taiwanese capital, taipei. it had cast the taiwan election as a choice

world leaders congratulate taiwan's president—elect, william lai, on his victory.cials in colombia say that at least 33 people, mostly children, have been killed by a landslide in the northwest of the country. and the longest—serving monarch in europe, the queen of denmark, abdicates, after 52 years on the throne. hello. i'm catherine byaruhanga. international leaders have been congratulating taiwan's new president—elect, william lai, on his victory in the island's election on saturday. but william lai's campaign has angered beijing, as he promised to protect the island's sovereignty, and maintain a separate national identity. china, however, considers the island state part of its own territory. rupert wingfield—hayes has more, from the taiwanese capital, taipei. o nto onto stage comes the man who will now be taiwan's next president. in the end, william lai won the election by a larger margin than expected. the chinese

the ruling party's candidate william lai has extended the party's grip on power. ai has extended the party's grip on ower. ., ., , ., ., power. what does it mean for cross state relations? _ the us military launches a fresh strike against a houthi target in yemen, a day afterjoint us—british air strikes across the country and in the uk, the minister responsible for the post office has called for jail time for those responsible for an it scandal — in which hundreds of workers were falsely accused of theft. welcome to the programme. let's start in taiwan, where william lai has won the elections and is set to become taiwan's president. lai is representing the governing dpp — and is set to succeed to the current president tsai ing—wen. lai has been labelled a troublemaker by china, as beijing warned people against voting for him. in his acceptance speech, he said he is "determined to safeguard taiwan from continuing threat and intimidation from china" and will maintain the cross—strait status quo. around 19 million voters were called to elect a new president. my collea

the numbers are coming in incredibly quickly but we can see that william lai currently is in the leads from the democratic progressive party, the incumbent government. behind him is hou yu—ih from kuomintang, the main opposition party and the newest candidate ko wen—ji is from the taiwan people's party. he is currently in third. all of this tracks as it did with the polling that was done in the lead up to the election. to get some understanding of what these numbers mean, though, let's speak with my guest, professor. thank you forjoining me. i want to get your thoughts on not the order that the candidates seem to be pulling at the moment but the margin and what that tells us. william lai is in the lead but you are seeing that his margin perhaps not as big as when he won four years ago? not as big as when he won four years auo? , , ., ., not as big as when he won four years auo? , , . ., ago? definitely. part of the reason wh this is ago? definitely. part of the reason why this is happening _ ago? definitely. part of the reason why this is happening is _ ago? definitely. part of the re

william lai, from taiwan's ruling party, wins the presidential election and vows to defend the island from china's intimidation and maintain its democratic way of life. but china said "reunification" with taiwan is still "inevitable" after the election on the self—ruled island that beijing claims as its own. the us military says it has carried out a new strike on a houthi target in yemen, a day after dozens of similar us—british air strikes across the country. in what the us calls a "follow—up action" to thursday night's attacks, a us ship fired missiles at a radar site. the israeli prime minister says that nothing will deter israel's determination to pursue the war in gaza — including the international court ofjustice in the hague. now on bbc news — the travel show. europe by train — for generations of backpackers into rail, as well as for me, it is what travel is all about. and in germany, the railways are booming, partly because of this. it's called the deutschlandticket. it costs me a0 euros a month, and it allows me almost unlimited use of the country's regional public transport

many more challenges to come on - more challenges to come on william lai's plate.ck to yon-— back to you. many thanks, steve. steve _ back to you. many thanks, steve. steve lai _ back to you. many thanks, steve. steve lai in - back to you. many thanks, steve. steve lai in taipei i steve. steve lai in taipei there. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. the french coastguard says five people attempting to cross the channel in a small boat died early on sunday morning. it's understood more than 70 people, including children, were on board when it got into difficulty in french waters. south east asian leaders gathered in brunei for the climax of the ten—day wedding celebrations for prince abdul mateen. the couple made their first public appearance in a lavish procession through the streets of the capital. and from one royalfamily and from one royal family to another... after more than half a century on the throne, queen margrethe of denmark has abdicated, with her son frederik becoming king in a ceremony on the weekend. 0ur royal correspondent danie

and what do those issues say about the fact that william lai has won?taiwanese voters in this election, as with every presidential election, were, uh, concerned about cross-strait relations. in taiwan's presidential elections the relationship with ina is always a key issue. and that was certainly the case this year. over the past year or so, the chinese government has been increasingly aggressive in its coercive actions towards taiwan. and so voters and the parties themselves made that a key issue. the kmt cast this election as a choice between war and peace. a vote for the kmt is a vote for peace with china, they said. a vote for the dpp is a vote for war, whereas the dpp cast this as an election. that was a choice between democracy and authoritarianism. with a rising china, you know, a sort of specter of authoritarianism looming over taiwan. but those were not the only issues. basically on the ballot this year, the economy, unemployment and high home prices were also very much on voters minds. now, the fact that the dpp won, part of that has to do wit

us secretary of state antony blinken congratulated president—elect william lai on saturday. sage was seen by beijing as a violation of washington's commitment to maintain only unofficial ties with taiwan. earlier i spoke to steve lai in taipei who told me more about the situation. those words of congratulations from antony blinken have been backed up with some actions as well. just yesterday a delegation of former senior officials arrived in taipei and they're expected to meet with various leaders here today. we will have to see what comes out of those meetings and what words get shared between the two of those parties. in the meantime, let's get more reaction to what we have seen over the weekend's elections. a researcher at the university of virginia. thanks for your time today. firstly these election results show taiwan will actually have a weaker parliament and a weaker parliament for the next four years given the split of how the parties have divided up the parliamentary seats. what do you make of that and particular now that tpp looks like they could hold some leverage

taiwanese voters have chosen william lai as their president in an historic election cementing a path who warned voters not to vote for the doctor—turned—politican. mr lai, who represents the democratic progressive party, won 40% of the vote, beating the other two opponents by a wide margin. he has broken new ground, winning an unprecedented third consecutive presidential term for his party. but the win could also increase tensions with china, who have called mr lai a troublemaker and separtist. china considers taiwan a part of its territory and has been calling for a "peaceful reunification" but has not ruled out the use of force. in recent months the country has ramped up its military presence on the island, heightening fears of a possible conflict. rupert wingfield—hayes has more from the taiwanese capital, taipei. 0nto stage comes the man who will now be taiwan's next

as we have been hearing on newsday, william lai has won taiwan's presidential election. the third consecutive term for his ruling democratic progressive party. at the same time two former us officials are visiting taipei for post—election talks, underscoring washington's long—standing interest with the territory. but china views the president—elect is a dangerous separatist and warned any move towards independence will be severely punished. my colleague spoke to a taiwanese analyst at the intelligence unit about how the intelligence unit about how the results of this election will impact the islands relationship with beijing. china is suspicion of his intentions and much of this ties back to his past. he is infamous in that he has been vocally supportive of independence but it is also important to mention that he has generally softened his stance in the last few years and on the campaign trail since he served as vice president in taiwan he has really espoused more of a pro— status quo, the idea that he will inherit the former policy that make foreign—policy and domestic

in the front, _ media are putting william lai in the front, att— media are putting william lai ins now have passed the 1 million _ candidates now have passed the 1 million vote, it has been a steady stream _ million vote, it has been a steady stream of— million vote, it has been a steady stream of voters, and what is interesting, just before the polls closed, — interesting, just before the polls closed, people had been making their way in _ closed, people had been making their way in for— closed, people had been making their way in for a _ closed, people had been making their way in for a last—minute casting of their— way in for a last—minute casting of their vote — way in for a last—minute casting of their vote. this is a very, obviously. _ their vote. this is a very, obviously, so many things are at stake. _ obviously, so many things are at stake. in — obviously, so many things are at stake, in terms of domestic politics. _ stake, in terms of domestic politics, but who is go to take power. — politics, but who is go to take power, but of course, that all—important, fraught and te

william lai of the ruling democratic people's party says he is ready to challenge china.e must win because we must defend democracy. china considers him a supporter. connection is inevitable within for many years, china has been increasing surveillance, patrolling the island's waters with fighter jets and even launching missiles near the island, and the prc has been actively increasing hacker attacks in the field of political disinformation, including the exchange of secret messages, all in order to sow doubt in washington. now there is a growing feeling in the country that the decisive influence on the vote was not the voters, but washington and beijing. the us delegation includes: former national security advisor stephen headley and chairman american institute in taiwan laura rosenberg. hadley served as national security adviser from 2005 to 2009 under former us president george w. bush. we are honored to have the opportunity to meet with you to reaffirm that america's commitment to taiwan is strong, principled and bipartisan, and that the united states stands with its

william lai was not doing too well three or four weeks ago he was behind in some polls and even in the holds a commanding 11.1% lead over china's favorite candidate and the reason people in taiwan were focusing on democratic progressive party failures of governance so william lai was not doing well. when china accepted think about the china threat and that means they go to the green parties like the dpp. beijing is being counterproductive with its tactics. cheryl: the head of china association for relation across the taiwan strait said earlier that taiwan's upcoming elections are important choices between the prospects for peace and war and that taiwan residents must stand on the right side of history and make a correct choice for relations back to the right track of peaceful development. again the chinese association for development in taiwan the key to unpack that statement. >> beijing is telling taiwan voters to vote for the candidate who is behind, the problem here although we heard this rhetoric from beijing and the problem is xi jinping right now is actually saying words that are

taiwanese voters have chosen william lai as their president in an historic election cementing a path m neighbouring china who warned voters not to vote for the doctor—turned—politician. mr lai, who represents the democratic progressive party, won 40% of the vote, beating the other two opponents by a wide margin. he has broken new ground, winning an unprecedented third consecutive presidential term for his party. but the win could also increase tensions with china, who have called mr lai a troublemaker and separatist. china considers taiwan a part of its territory and has been calling for a "peaceful reunification" but has not ruled out the use of force. in recent months the country has ramped up its military presence on the island, heightening fears of a possible conflict. live now to steve lai in taipei.

let's start in taiwan, where william lai has won the elections and is set to become taiwan's presidentnt tsai ing—wen. lai has been labelled a troublemaker by china, as beijing warned people against voting for him. in his acceptance speech, he said he is "determined to safeguard taiwan from continuing threat and intimidation from china" and will maintain the cross—strait status quo. around 19 million voters were called to elect a new president.

china had warned voters not to vote for the doctor—turned—politician william lai, who represents the er two opponents by a wide margin. mr lai's victory could increase tensions with china, which has called mr lai a troublemaker and separatist. china considers taiwan a part of its territory. it has been calling for a — quote — "peaceful reunification" but has not ruled out the use of force. in recent months, the country has ramped up its military presence on the island, heightening fears of a possible conflict. i spoke to the bbc�*s steve lai about the significance of this election. steve, what does this election result mean for taiwan and the region?

as we just mentioned, its candidate is current vice president lai ching—te — also known as william laig—friendly kuomintang, or kmt. its candidate is new taipei city mayor hou yu—ih. he's promised to boost the island's defences while restarting talks with beijing. there's also the smaller taiwan people's party, or tpp, which lies somewhere between both parties on the political spectrum. their candidate is former taipei mayor ko wen—je. joining me is our asia digital reporter tessa wong. taiwan prides itself as having a vibrant democracy and an engaged electorate. you don't have to go far to see political dialogue, debate and disagreements all play out in the media and in public forums. but that openness also means that it can be vulnerable to disinformation. joining me is our asia digital reporter tessa wong. tessa, great to have you with me up here. let's focus on this information with regards to the taiwan election. what does that mean? set the context.- mean? set the context. what we've been — mean? set the context. what we've been seeing _ mean? set the context. what we've been see

china labelled him a troublemaker — but william lai wins taiwan's presidential election for the rulingocracy. we have shown the world how much we cherish our democracy. this is our unwavering commitment. but china says "reunification" with taiwan is still "inevitable" after the election. the us military launches fresh strikes against a houthi target in yemen, that's as president biden says the us has delivered a private message to iran about the houthis. the israeli prime minister says that nothing will deter israel's determination to pursue the war in gaza, including the international court ofjustice in the hague. translation: no-one will stop us, not the hague, i not the axis of evil and no—one else. we begin in taiwan, where voters have ignored china's repeated warnings not to vote for william lai from the ruling party, the dpp. he will replace tsai ing—wen as president after securing 40% of the vote, though the dpp lost its majority in parliament, making it hard for him to pass legislation. mr lai says he will maintain the status quo

china labelled him a troublemaker, but william lai wins taiwan's presidential election for the rulingu to - the taiwanese people for writing a new chapter in our democracy. we have shown the world how much we cherish our democracy. this is our unwavering commitment. but china says "reunification" with taiwan is still "inevitable" after the election. israel's military says it will consider allowing palestinians to return to northern gaza, as seen described as one of utter devastation. president biden says he's sent a private message to iran about the houthis in yemen, following us and uk air strikes against the group. hello, i'm azadeh moshiri. we begin in taiwan, where voters have ignored china's repeated warnings not to vote for william lai from the ruling party, the dpp. he will replace tsai ing—wen as president after securing 40% of the vote — though the dpp lost its majority in parliament, making it hard for him to pass legislation. mr lai says he will maintain the status quo in relations with china, which has labelled him

earlier, iasked him how could beijing react if taiwanese elect william lai as he appears to be particularlybeijing obviously does not like lai, claiming he's a dangerous separatist. but listen, i don't think any democratic progressive party candidate would be any more welcome, and the current dpp president, tsai ing—wen, has come under similar attacks for her refusal to accept the �*92 consensus and for her other sins. beijing just fundamentally has a very deep distrust of the dpp and its leaders, so i suspect that cross—strait relationship has been rather tense over the past eight years of that tsai ing—wen presidency, so i think we can anticipate that that would continue with a william lai presidency. china's president xi, in his new year's address, reiterated that quote "reunification" with taiwan was inevitable. how heavily does the china factor weigh on this election, versus domestic bread—and—butter issues? i think it's very important for this election. we saw with the recent debates that there was a lot of focus on the cross—strait relationship, on what sort of relationship taiwan sh

william lai, he is stepping up at the top job.ame. more of the fractious relationship with china stop you might recall it peaked about 18 months ago when nancy pelosi, the former house speaker, visited taiwan and resulted in numerous military exercises from china in the taiwan strait, really ramping up taiwan strait, really ramping up tensions in region and if a vote for him is seen as a continuation vote in that regard of if you talk about the other two parties, for one, thatis other two parties, for one, that is the oldest party here in taiwan and they have been in power in the past as well. they are trying to get back into power now that their platform is more based along the dialogue with china. they want to have a closer relationship with china to ratchet down the tensions that is going on at the moment. the third party, the moment. the third party, the newest party, they formed about three or four years ago, the taiwan people's party, they are trying to walk that line between the two other parties that they want dialogue wit

the us secretary of state congratulated president—elect william lai on saturday and the message seenington's commitment to maintain only unofficial ties with taiwan. on sunday a us delegation including the former national security adviser stephen hadley and the former deputy of state arrived to meet with leading political figures. arrived to meet with leading politicalfigures. from experts i have been speaking to, the visit by those two former officials which is not unprecedented it has to be said serves to signal both the support of the us for taiwan and it is not seeking to provoke china. adding to the geopolitical complexity surrounding taiwan, the world's two leading economies will have to come to grips with working with a divided parliament out the dpp has lost its majority control. the dpp has lost its ma'ority control. ., , the dpp has lost its ma'ority control. . , ., ., ., let's get some of the day's other news now. the swearing in of guatemala's anti—corruption president—elect, bernardo arevalo, has been delayed by his opponents in congress amid tense scenes outside. his su

let's start in taiwan, where william lai has won the election and is set to become taiwan's presidentd a troublemaker by china, and beijing had warned people against voting for him. in his victory speech, he pledged to use dialogue instead of confrontation in exchanges with china and said he hoped that beijing understood that peace will benefit both sides.

william lai, hervice 2—term limit already.s running for the top ticket and has vowed to continue the policies that tsai ing—wen has championed. china does not like that and china say that a vote for the dbp is akin to a vote for war, a clear indication that the dislike of the dpp and its continued push for more separation from china. if we turn to the other two parties that are in condition, the kmp, they have a long tradition of being popular in taiwan and they are pushing with more friendly relations with more friendly relations with china —— china and so they —— and also the tpp, the taiwan people's party, they see themselves more in the centre. they want to both work on deterrence with china when it comes to china military strength when its relationship with the us but they also want dialogue and diplomacy with china as well so they position themselves in the middle. sum themselves in the middle. an election that is being watched closely around the world, what about people in taiwan? what issues are they most concerned abo

, and that tsai ing—wen presidency, sol think we can anticipate that that would continue with a william laii think it's very important for this election. we saw with the recent debates that there was a lot of focus on the cross trade relationship, what sort of relationship, what sort of relationship time should have with the prc - relationship time should have with the prc — whereas with previous election campaigns or debates, they were more focused on domestic issues. so i think people are very, very focused on how this outcome could affect the cross trade relationship.— could affect the cross trade relationship. could affect the cross trade relationshi -. ., . , ., relationship. now there are question marks there are question marks over the us commitment to support taiwan — military funding was tied up in the ukraine package that is stalled in congress. what are the priorities for washington here, and how committed is president biden to supporting taiwan? well, i'm certainly aware of the statements the president and his advisers have made, but i'm not really in a position to say how the u

taiwanese voters have chosen william lai as their president in an historic election — cementing a pathasingly divergent from neighbouring china, who warned voters not to vote for the doctor—turned—politican. mr lai — who represents the democratic progressive party — won 40% of the vote, beating the other two opponents by a wide margin. he's broken new ground, winning an unprecedented third consecutive presidential term for his party, but the win could also increase tensions with china, who has called mr lai a troublemaker and separtist. china considers taiwan a part of its territory and has been calling for a "peaceful reunification" but has not ruled out the use of force. in recent months, the country has ramped up its military presence on the island, heightening fears of a possible conflict. rupert wingfield—hayes has more from the taiwanese capital, taipei. 0nto stage comes the man who will now be taiwan's next president.

as voters in taiwan elect william lai as their next president — china warns any moves towards the island'snslation: no matter what the results of the election _ translation: no matter what the results of the election are - results of the election are they cannot change the basic fact that there is only one china and taiwan is a part of it. republican candidates aiming for the white house face their first electoral test in the state of iowa. live from our studio in singapore, this is bbc news. it's newsday. hello and welcome to the programme. we begin with the latest from iceland where a volcano is erupting in the southwest of the country. you're watching live pictures from the area — and while it's now dark there, you can still see lava glowing and smoke rising into the sky. this follows a similar eruption in the same area last month — this time it's much closer to the fishing town of grindavik. people living nearby have already left the area and local authorities have declared an emergency.

states, supporting the democratic progressive party, which is now in power, their candidates or william laie incumbent. deputy head of administration, studied in the states, harvard graduate, built his election campaign on the principle “america is the main ally.” the election race showed that he collects more than a third of the votes, but there are two serious pursuers nearby, the closest of which from the gamindan huyu party is gaining the same 30%. the third candidate from the taiwan people's party kvndje has the greatest support among young people. there was a fight for every vote and lai began to attack his opponents. accuse of intimidating voters with war and pro-communist views, which is nonsense from a historical point of view, because the kuomintang government lost to the chinese communist party in 1949 and fled from the communists to taiwan. i strongly oppose taiwan's independence, but i also oppose one country, two systems, i firmly defend taiwan's democracy and freedom, this is the middle the path taiwan should take. tense. literally on january 9, residents received a message o