The United States on Saturday congratulated Taiwan's president-elect Lai Ching-te, but maintained that Washington does not support independence for the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing. Asked by reporters for Washington's position on Taiwan, where independence-leaning Lai has pitched himself as a defender of the island's democratic way of life, US President Joe Biden said: "We do not support independence." In a statement, Antony Blinken saluted Lai on his victory in Saturday's pivotal vote and hailed the "robust democratic system and electoral process" of the self-ruled island.