Taiwan New President China Threat

Taiwan's president-elect Lai Ching-te vowed Saturday to stand "on the side of democracy" and defend the self-ruled island from "intimidation" from China, which has branded him as a threat to peace in the flashpoint region.

Taiwanese voted for a new president Saturday, with the China-friendly Nationalist Party likely to lose power to the pro-independence opposition amid concerns that the island's economy is under threat from China and broad opposition to Beijing's demands for political unification.

Taiwan's president-elect Lai Ching-te vowed Saturday to stand "on the side of democracy" and defend the self-ruled island from "intimidation" from China, which has branded him as a threat to peace in the flashpoint region.

Taiwanese voted for a new president Saturday, with the China-friendly Nationalist Party likely to lose power to the pro-independence opposition amid concerns that the island's economy is under threat from China and broad opposition to Beijing's demands for political unification.