TAIPEI -- On the surface, Lai Ching-te's victory in Saturday's Taiwan elections was a powerful rebuff to China's intimidation of its democratic neighbor.
The historic third-straight presidential term for his China-skeptic ruling party is an affirmation of Taiwan's sovereignty and a rejection of Beijing's hard-line approach. It is also linked to the opposition Kuomintang's (KMT) unpopular China policies and incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen's record in office: She shored up international support for the island, weathered the pandemic, and initiated major reforms such as legalizing same-sex marriage.
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