Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) secured a historic third presidential term on Saturday, January 13, electing former Vice President Lai Ching-te with 40% of the vote.Lai defeated Hou You-ih, from the China-friendly opposition party Kuomintang (KMT), as well as Ko Wen-je, the presidential candidate of Taiwan People’s Party.During his victory speech, Lai said his win was a victory for the “global community of democracies.”“We are telling the international community that between democracy and authoritarianism, we will stand on the side of democracy,” he said on Saturday night.In a statement shared by China’s state news agency Xinhua, Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Chen Binhua said the results of the election “reveal that the Democratic Progressive Party cannot represent the mainstream public opinion on the island.”“Taiwan is China’s Taiwan”, the statement read. “…The elections will not change the basic landscape and development trend of cross-Strait relations, will not alter the shared aspiration of compatriots across the Taiwan Strait to forge closer ties, and will not impede the inevitable trend of China’s reunification.”Lai was set to be inaugurated on May 20. Credit: Lai Ching-te via Storyful