President Biden showed he is mindful of Beijing’s red lines, answering a reporter’s question on Saturday about the Taiwan election by saying: “We do not support independence." China, meanwhile, sought to undermine Lai’s legitimacy, dismissing his victory as unrepresentative of mainstream opinion in Taiwan. The ruling DPP lost control of the legislature after Saturday’s vote—limiting Lai’s ability to set Taiwan onto a drastically different path. That is unlikely to be enough for Beijing, which has described Lai and the DPP as separatists who are steering Taiwan toward conflict. The last surge in U.S.-China discord over Taiwan came in 2022, when then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei.

Source: Wall Street Journal January 15, 2024 06:17 UTC