Lai Ching-te of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was elected as the new president of Taiwan, succeeding Tsai Ing-wen. Beijing referred to Lai as a ‘dangerous separatist’ and a ‘troublemaker’. Lai pledged to continue Tsai’s cross-strait policies, including Taiwan’s right to self-determination. Reacting to the election results, Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Chen Binhua said the vote “will not impede the inevitable trend of China’s reunification”.