Photo/Illutration Supporters celebrate the victory of the Democratic Progressive Party’s Lai Ching-te in Taiwan’s presidential election in Taipei on Jan. 13. (Tatsuo Kanai)

Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13 demonstrated surging public confidence in the viability of Taiwan.

Vice President Lai Ching-te of the governing Democratic Progressive Party was elected president, defeating Hou Yu-ih from the main opposition Kuomintang and Ko Wen-je from the Taiwan People’s Party.

Today, the bulk of people in Taiwan view themselves as distinctly “Taiwanese” rather than “Chinese.” The number of those who identify with the latter has fallen to 2.5 percent, according to a poll by the National Chengchi University.

The prevailing view in democratic Taiwan is that it is an independent country that is decidedly different from China, which is under authoritarian Communist Party.

A poll shows that less than 10 percent of the population want unification with China, even in the future.

During the nearly eight years under outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan rapidly gained respect in the international community.

It is home to a world-class semiconductor industry that is the envy of Japan and the United States.

By embracing diversity, Taiwan became the first society in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, capturing the attention of Japan, the United States and countries in Europe.

For this reason, Taiwanese people have growing confidence in the way their society sets itself apart from that of China.

In the latest election, voters placed priority on economic policy and other issues rather than on Taiwan’s relations with China.

They sought to determine who was best equipped to move Taiwan’s society and economy forward.

As a result, many votes went to the up-and-coming Taiwan People’s Party, which focused on issues related to people’s daily lives and called debates on independence and unification “meaningless.”

The fact that Taiwan is a mature democracy that embraces diverse opinions and has the support of the international community allowed voters to prioritize the advancement of their society and economy.

The Taiwanese people are fully aware that no matter who becomes president, he or she cannot act against the will of the people and destroy the status quo of the China-Taiwan relations.

Lai will take office as president in May.

He has been entrusted with the task of developing a strategy to avoid cross-strait tension even as China intensifies pressure.

He will also shoulder responsibility for maintaining stability in Taiwan and the rest of Asia.

The international community, including Japan, need to nurture a relationship of trust with Lai and watch over the new president so he does not move against the will of the Taiwanese people.

Chinese leaders, who remain obsessed with unifying what Beijing considers its breakaway province, must more deeply understand the meaning of the judgment displayed by the Taiwanese people in the election.

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Koichiro Ishida is chief of The Asahi Shimbun’s Taipei Bureau.

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