Lai Ching-te, from Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party, set to win closely watched presidential election

• The outcome of the presidential election is likely to rile Beijing, which has repeatedly labeled Lai as a "stubborn worker for Taiwan independence" and a dangerous separatist.
• There are also fears this could in turn influence frosty China-U.S. relations and security in the broader Indo-Pacific region, with China having escalated military activity in the Taiwan Strait and other nearby waters.

TAIPEI — Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party is set to win an unprecedented third-straight presidential term, though it remains unclear if leader Lai Ching-te will have a parliamentary majority which may hobble his legislative agenda for the self-governing island.

DPP's Lai — Taiwan's current vice-president — has won more than 40% of the popular vote in Taiwan's eighth direct presidential election that Beijing has framed as a choice between "peace and war, prosperity and decline."

Kuomintang or KMT, seen friendlier toward Beijing, had roughly 33% of the vote with leader Hou You-yi conceding defeat. Ko Wen-je — the surly, straight-talking former Taipei mayor who ran under the banner of Taiwan Party's Party that was formed only in 2019 — received just over 26%.

The outcome of the presidential election is likely to rile Beijing, which has repeatedly labeled Lai as a "stubborn worker for Taiwan independence" and a dangerous separatist. There are also fears this could in turn influence frosty China-U.S. relations and security in the broader Indo-Pacific region, with China having escalated military activity in the Taiwan Strait and other nearby waters.

The new government will also have its hands full, with voters largely concerned with bread-and-butter issues, particularly stagnant wages at a time of escalating rents and home