(Reuters) -Following are reactions by some foreign leaders and other officials to the result of Saturday’s election in Taiwan, won by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) presidential candidate Lai Ching-te. Lai’s party champions Taiwan’s separate identity and rejects China’s territorial claims.
CHINA’S TAIWAN AFFAIRS OFFICE
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said Lai’s win would not change the basic landscape of cross-strait relations.
In a statement carried on China’s state Xinhua news agency, Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the office, said the results showed the Democratic Progressive Party cannot represent mainstream public opinion on the island.
U.S. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN
“We do not support independence,” Biden said, when asked for reaction to Saturday’s elections. Hours ahead of the polls opening, Washington had warned “it would be unacceptable” for “any” country to interfere in the election.
U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE ANTHONY BLINKEN
Blinken congratulated Lai on his victory and the people of Taiwan for “demonstrating the strength of their robust democratic system and electoral process.”
The top U.S. diplomat went on to re-state U.S. policy of wanting peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, as well as relations between Beijing and Taipei that are “free from coercion and pressure”.
“We look forward to working with Dr. Lai and Taiwan’s leaders of all parties to advance our shared interests and values, and to further our longstanding unofficial relationship, consistent with the U.S. one China policy,” the statement said.
“We are confident that Taiwan will continue to serve as an example for all who strive for freedom, democracy, and prosperity.”
BRITISH FOREIGN MINISTER DAVID CAMERON
Cameron congratulated Lai and the DPP on his win and said he hoped Taiwan and China would renew efforts to resolve their differences peacefully.
“The elections today are testament to Taiwan’s vibrant democracy,” he said in a statement. “I hope that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait will renew efforts to resolve differences peacefully through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion.”
JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER YOKO KAMIKAWA
Japan offered congratulations for Lai’s election and the smooth vote, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said in a statement.
“We expect that the issue surrounding Taiwan will be resolved peacefully through dialogue, thereby contributing to the peace and stability in the region,” the statement said.
“For Japan, Taiwan is an extremely crucial partner and an important friend, with which it shares fundamental values and enjoys close economic relations and people-to-people exchanges,” it said, repeating Japan’s usual lines about Taiwan.
RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, commenting after the vote, said Moscow continued to view Taiwan as an integral part of China.
GERMANY’S FEDERAL FOREIGN OFFICE
Germany’s Federal Foreign Office on Sunday congratulated the elected officials, and all the voters and candidates who participated in the elections in Taiwan.
“Germany has close and good relations with Taiwan in many sectors and wants to expand them within the framework of its One-China policy,” the foreign office said in a statement.
FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTRY
France congratulated Taiwan’s voters and elected officials after the Taiwan election, which showed their deep commitment to democratic values, the French foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
The ministry official called on all parties to respect the status quo and said it hoped dialogue between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait would resume.
(Reporting by Reuters bureaus; Compiled by Frances Kerry; Editing by William Maclean, William Mallard, Michael Perry and Sharon Singleton)
