Taiwanese voters swept the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) presidential candidate Lai Ching-te into power on January 13. The election result was an explicit rejection of China’s warnings not to vote for him in an election Beijing framed as a choice between war and peace. Current Vice-President Lai’s DPP, which rejects China’s territorial claims, was seeking a third term, unprecedented under Taiwan’s current electoral system. Lai faced off against the Kuomintang’s Hou Yu-ih, the mayor of New Taipei City, and former Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People’s Party.