Taiwan's Tsai Ing-wen prepares for power amid Chinese warnings
Taiwan's Tsai Ing-wen is preparing for a historic transfer of power after her sweeping victory, amid strident warnings from Chinese state media.
On Monday Chinese papers continued their admonishments, warning Ms Tsai and her DPP party against any move towards independence. China sees the island as a breakaway province, which it has threatened to take back by force if necessary. Before her win Ms Tsai said she wanted to maintain the "status quo". But some analysts say her rhetoric has hardened somewhat in the wake of her victory, when she said that "any forms of suppression will harm the stability of cross-strait relations". Her pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party beat the ruling Kuomintang, which has overseen friendlier and ever-closer ties with China on Saturday. Two days later, on Monday, Ms Tsai met former US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, and vowed to maintain close relations with the US in all areas, particularly the economy. One report from the Reuters agency said that DPP Secretary General Joseph Wu would be going to the US. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also congratulated Ms Tsai on her victory, calling Taiwan "an old friend". She has already set up a taskforce to oversee the transfer of power, Taiwan's third transition of power in its democratic history. Chinese state media lashed out swiftly in the wake of the victory, saying that Taiwan should abandon its "hallucination" of independence. On Monday, a Global Times report said it wasn't Ms Tsai's pro-independence views that won her the vote but the "dissatisfactory performance of the incumbent Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou and his ruling KMT". Tsai Ing-wen on China Before the election: "I will, based on the existing ROC constitutional system, based on democratic principles, on the basis of the largest public opinion, promote cross-strait policy. "I will make the greatest efforts to seek a way for Taiwan and mainland China to interact that is mutually acceptable to both sides. I will not be provocative, there will not be any surprises." After the election: "I also want to emphasise that both sides of the strait have a responsibility to find mutually acceptable means of interaction that are based on dignity and reciprocity. We must ensure that no provocations or accidents take place. "The results of today's election showcases the will of the Taiwanese people. It is the shared resolve of Taiwan's 23 million people that the Republic of China is a democratic country. "Our democratic system, national identity, and international space must be respected. Any forms of suppression will harm the stability of cross-strait relations.