Taiwan's sovereignty
Tsai had promised stable ties with China, while Ma campaigned on his record, since assuming power in 2008, of swiftly improving ties with China, culminating with a sweeping trade pact signed one and a half years ago.
Al Jazeera’s Melissa Chan, reporting from Beijing, said officials in China were "breathing a sigh of relief" because of the victory for the pro-China Ma.
"It's certain that Chinese leaders are happy about this result. They haven't said which candidate they support in recent weeks, but from a strategic standpoint, what the Chinese are comfortable with is Ma."
Chan continued: "Ma is a known quality for Beijing. The situation has been stable [during his time in office] and they want that status quo to continue."
Taiwan has governed itself since 1949, but China claims it as part of its territory, and has never ruled out the use of force to bring about reunification.
Tsai had promised stable ties with China, while Ma campaigned on his record, since assuming power in 2008, of swiftly improving ties with China, culminating with a sweeping trade pact signed one and a half years ago.
Al Jazeera’s Melissa Chan, reporting from Beijing, said officials in China were "breathing a sigh of relief" because of the victory for the pro-China Ma.
"It's certain that Chinese leaders are happy about this result. They haven't said which candidate they support in recent weeks, but from a strategic standpoint, what the Chinese are comfortable with is Ma."
Chan continued: "Ma is a known quality for Beijing. The situation has been stable [during his time in office] and they want that status quo to continue."
Taiwan has governed itself since 1949, but China claims it as part of its territory, and has never ruled out the use of force to bring about reunification.