Ruling-party candidate Lai Ching-te has emerged victorious in Taiwan’s presidential election and his opponents have conceded.

The result in Taiwan’s presidential and parliamentary election will chart the trajectory of relations with China over the next four years.

At stake is the peace and stability of the island, 100 miles off the coast of China, that Beijing claims as its own and to be retaken by force if necessary.

Taiwan Election
The crowd cheers at a Democratic Progressive Party rally in New Taipei City, Taiwan where frontrunner Lai Ching-te emerged victorious (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

China has called the poll a choice between war and peace.

Beijing strongly opposes the front-runner, current vice president Lai Ching-te of the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Mr Lai and incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen reject China’s sovereignty claims over Taiwan, a former Japanese colony that split from the mainland amid civil war in 1949.

They have, however, offered to speak with Beijing, which has repeatedly refused to hold talks and called them separatists.

Apart from tensions with China, the election hinged on domestic issues, such as a slowed economy, housing affordability, a yawning gap between rich and poor and unemployment.

Taiwan Election
The election will chart the trajectory of the self-ruled democracy’s relations with China over the next four years (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Beijing was believed to favour the candidate from the more China-friendly Nationalist party, also known as Kuomintang, or KMT.

Its candidate, Hou Yu-ih, had promised to restart talks with China while bolstering national defence. He promised not to move toward unifying the two sides of the Taiwan Strait if elected.

A third candidate, Ko Wen-je of the smaller Taiwan People’s Party, or TPP, had particularly drawn the support of young people wanting an alternative to the KMT and DPP, Taiwan’s traditional opposing parties, which have largely taken turns governing since the 1990s.

Mr Ko had also stated he wanted to speak with Beijing, and that his bottom line would be that Taiwan needs to remain democratic and free.

The US, which is bound by its laws to provide Taiwan with the weapons needed to defend itself, has pledged support for whichever government emerges, reinforced by the Biden administration’s plans to send an unofficial delegation made up of former senior officials to the island shortly after the election.

Beside the China tensions, domestic issues such as the dearth of affordable housing and stagnating wages have dominated the campaign.