In Taiwan, Lai Tsinde, a supporter of independence from China and rapprochement with the United States, won the presidential election

Lai Tsinde of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has won Taiwan's presidential election. This was reported by Focus Taiwan and BBC News. According to preliminary estimates, 64-year-old Lai Tsinde is getting about 42 percent of the vote.

Hou Yui, the candidate of the pro-China Kuomintang party, conceded defeat. He got 33 percent of the votes. The third candidate, Taiwan People's Party (TXP) leader Ke Wenjie, received about 25 percent of the vote.

Lai Ts ind e is the current vice president of Taiwan and head of the DPP. He calls himself a "pragmatic fighter for Taiwan independence" and insists that Taiwan is already a sovereign, independent country. In an interview with Time magazine, he said that Taiwan hopes to be friends with China. "We don't want to be enemies. "We will be happy to see Chinese President Xi Jinping in Taiwan and we will prepare traditional Taiwanese dishes for him ," he said.

Lai Tsinde also said he would continue to develop ties with the United States and his country's defense capabilities.

Bloomberg agency, citing a source in the American administration, wrote that Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his "concern" about Lai Tsing's possible victory in a meeting with the US president. In his New Year's message, Xi Jinping noted that reunification with Taiwan is an "unstoppable historical trend."

Voting in the presidential elections took place against the backdrop of Beijing's military maneuvers. Taiwan's Ministry of Defense reported that eight Chinese aircraft and six warships approached the island in the past 24 hours.