Lai Ching-Te, a pro-independence candidate from Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), was leading over other candidates as counting for votes began in the three-way regional leadership election on Saturday, initial trends suggested.
Lai, who served as vice president under Tsai Ing-Wen, was leading over Taiwan's main opposition Kuomintang's (KMT) candidate, Hou Yu-Ih, and the Ko Wen-Je, a candidate from smaller Taiwan People's Party (TPP), according to domestic media reports.
During the election campaign, Lai triggered a row in cross-Strait relations by stating that he would be a "worker for Taiwan independence".
The DPP candidate has however vowed to maintain a status quo in cross-Strait ties if he were elected to power.
On the other hand, Hou Yu-Ih has pledged to further enhance ties with China across different spheres. During the campaigning, he described Lai as a "dangerous separatist".
Election Outcome Won't Change Taiwan's Status: China
Describing the Taiwanese election as Beijing's "internal affair", Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning asserted at a press briefing on Friday that the election outcome "will not change the basic fact that Taiwan is part of China and there is only one China in the world".
Mao warned the international community, particularly the US, against supporting "Taiwan independence forces" or violating the One-China policy.
"The one-China principle is a prevailing international consensus and the political foundation of the China-US relationship. Taiwan independence is the biggest threat to cross-Strait peace and stability and is doomed to failure," the Chinese foreign ministry official said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping told US President Joe Biden at their meeting in California last year that Beijing was committed to "reunify" Taiwan.