Tsai wins 2nd term as Taiwan voters stand up to China

President Tsai Ing-wen won a landslide victory over China-friendly opposition challenger Han Kuo-yu to clinch a second term in Taiwan's presidential election, dealing a blow to Beijing, which has long sought to bring the democratically run island under its control. Han conceded defeat just before 9 pm at his headquarters in the southern city of Kaohsiung. Tsai had a record 7.7 million votes, Taiwan's Central Election Commission said around 8.30pm. Han had 5.2 million. The president, whose Democratic Progressive Party advocates formal independence from China, has vowed that Taiwan will never be unified with China as long she is in power. Meanwhile Han, of the Kuomintang party, had struggled to find a consistent message on China after a meteoric rise that saw him become mayor of Kaohsiung - Taiwan's third-largest city - and a top contender to unseat Tsai. Votes for Tsai surpassed the 6.9 million she reaped in 2016. Crowds of her supporters gathered for an evening victory celebration at her campaign's headquarters in downtown Taipei after hundreds of thousands rallied in city center the night before the vote. It was a stark contrast to the scene at Han's headquarters further south in Kaohsiung, where staffers cried as it became apparent Tsai was likely to win. Tsai was bolstered by a resilient economy and stock market and protests against China's grip in neighbouring Hong Kong, which have confronted Taiwanese voters with the potential perils of closer ties with the mainland.