China says DPP 'cannot represent' Taiwan after Lai's election win

Beijing's official statement follows Xi's comment on unification as 'inevitable'

Lai Ching-te of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party won the presidency in Saturday's election, an outcome Beijing did not want to see. (Photo by Hiroki Endo)

KENJI KAWASE, Nikkei Asia chief business news correspondent

January 14, 2024 03:47 JST

TAIPEI -- Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party does not represent the island, Beijing said Saturday in an initial response to the DPP's victory in the presidential election, a statement that seems to dismiss the outcome of a democratic vote.

Chen Binhua, spokesman for China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), issued a statement through state-run Xinhua News Agency that presidential and legislative elections on Saturday showed that the DPP "cannot represent the mainstream public opinion on the island."