Results of Taiwan Leadership Election Unveiled

13 Killed, 3 Missing in Central China Coal Mine Accident | China Brokers Myanmar Ceasefire

Hello from Shanghai, China. Here’s our pick for today’s news：

• Results of Taiwan Leadership Election Unveiled.

• 13 Killed, 3 Missing in Central China Coal Mine Accident.

• China Brokers Myanmar Ceasefire.

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1. Results of Taiwan Leadership Election Unveiled

Taiwan's leadership and legislature elections were held on Saturday. Candidate of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Lai Ching-te and his running mate Hsiao Bi-khim won the leadership election.

In the election of the island's 113-seat legislature, the Chinese Kuomintang party garnered 52 seats, the DPP won 51 seats, and the Taiwan People's Party seized eight seats.

After the election, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson made remarks on the result of the election in the Taiwan region. The spokesperson said that whatever changes take place in Taiwan, the basic fact that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is part of China will not change. Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said the results reveal that the Democratic Progressive Party cannot represent the mainstream public opinion on the island.

The U.S. State Department has issued a statement on the elections in in China's Taiwan region. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson claimed that the statement seriously violates the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués.

The Taiwan question is at the very core of China's core interests and the first red line. The one-China principle is a basic norm in international relations, a prevailing consensus among the international community.

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2. 13 Killed, 3 Missing in Central China Coal Mine Accident

At about 2.55 p.m., January 12, a coal and gas outburst accident occurred in the city of Pingdingshan, central China's Henan Province. Up to the present time, it has been confirmed that 13 people have been killed, 3 are missing, and the rest of the people are all out of danger, with rescue and relief work still in progress. The person in charge of the mine has reportedly been brought under the control of the public security authorities in accordance with the law.

According to industrial and commercial information, Pingdingshan Tian'an Coal Industry Company Limited, the enterprise where the accident occurred, the major shareholder is a provincial-controlled state-owned enterprise. Public information shows that in 2023 alone, the companies involved had been penalized by the local authorities for reasons including non-compliance with standards in the installation and use of safety equipment and excessive gas limits.

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3. China Brokers Myanmar Ceasefire

With China's mediation and effort to drive progress, representatives of Myanmar's military and three ethnic armed groups in northern Myanmar held peace talks in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, from Wednesday to Thursday and reached a formal ceasefire agreement, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Friday.

The two sides agreed to implement the ceasefire immediately, the military personnel will disengage and the two sides will address relevant disputes and concerns through peaceful negotiation. Two sides also promised not to undermine the safety of Chinese people living in the border area and Chinese projects and personnel in Myanmar.

"China stands ready to continue to provide support and assistance to the best of our capability and play a constructive role to this end," Mao said. China hopes that relevant parties in Myanmar will earnestly implement the already reached ceasefire agreement, exercise maximum restraint toward each other, continue to address the issues through dialogue and consultation and together strive for progress in the peace process in northern Myanmar.

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