TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Pro-independence party candidate Tsai Ing-wen took a commanding lead in Taiwan's presidential election results late Saturday evening, and the candidate for the China-friendly Nationalist Party conceded a massive loss. 
 
 Taiwan's ruling KMT or Nationalist Party presidential candidate Eric Chu, front center, with his wife Kao Wan-ching, front right, waves to supporters as he concedes defeat in the presidential election,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Supporters of Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP, presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen cheer at the campaign headquarters as early polling numbers arrive in her favor, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, in Taipei,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Taiwan's ruling KMT or Nationalist Party presidential candidate Eric Chu and his wife Kao Wan-ching bow to supporters as he concedes defeat in the presidential election, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, in Taipei,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Voters cast their ballots in the presidential election at a local temple, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, in Taipei, Taiwan. Voting began Saturday in the election in which the island's China-friendly Nationalist... (Associated Press) 
 
 A Taiwanese man exits a voting booth with his ballots in the presidential election at a local polling station in Taipei, Taiwan, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016. Voting began Saturday in Taiwan's presidential... (Associated Press) 
 
 Supporters of Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP, presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen cheer at the campaign headquarters as early polling numbers arrive in her favor, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, in Taipei,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Taiwan's ruling KMT or Nationalist Party presidential candidate Eric Chu delivers a speech as he concedes defeat in the presidential election, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, in Taipei, Taiwan. Pro-independence... (Associated Press) 
 
 Supporters of Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen cheer as they wait for election results at the party headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016. Tsai... (Associated Press) 
 
 The Democratic Progressive Party's Tsai was poised to become the self-governing island's first female president in an election taking place amid concerns that the island's economy is under threat from China and broad opposition to Beijing's demands for political unification. 
 
 Tsai had about 60 percent of votes while Nationalist Eric Chu had about 30 percent, with about half of votes counted. 
 
 "We failed. The Nationalist Party lost the elections. We didn't work hard enough," Chu said before a thin crowd of a few hundred supporters at his campaign headquarters. He followed his concession speech by making a long bow. 
 
 "As the Nationalist Party chairperson, I need to pay the highest level of responsibility. Dear all friends, Eric Chu apologizes to everyone. I'm resigning as party chief," he said. 
 
 Outgoing Nationalist President Ma Ying-jeou has served eight years and is constitutionally barred from another term. 
 
 The outcome of the contest for a majority in the 113-seat legislature remained uncertain, with independents and smaller parties posing a threat to both the Nationalists and the DPP. 
 
 "Taiwan and China need to keep some distance," said Willie Yao, a computer engineer voting in Taipei who said he backed Tsai. "The change of president would mean still letting Taiwanese make the decision." 
 
 Reflecting unease over a slowdown in Taiwan's once-mighty economy, undeclared voter Hsieh Lee-fung said providing opportunities to the next generation was the most important issue. 
 
 "Economic progress is related closely to our leadership, like land reform and housing prices. People aren't making enough money to afford homes," Hsieh said. 
 
 A win for Tsai would introduce new uncertainty in the complicated relationship between Taiwan and mainland China, which claims the island as its own territory and threatens to use force if it declares formal independence. 
 
 "This is not about defeating the other party. This is about working to overcome the obstacles in Taiwan's path," Tsai told supporters in the rain at a final rally Friday night in front of the presidential office building in the center of the capital, Taipei. 
 
 Tsai has pledged to maintain the status quo of de-facto independence for the island of 23 million, although she has refused to endorse the principle that Taiwan and China are parts of a single nation to be unified eventually. 
 
 Beijing has made that its baseline for continuing negotiations that have produced a series of pacts on trade, transport and exchanges. Observers say China is likely to adopt a wait-and-see approach to Tsai's presidency, but might use diplomatic and economy pressure if she is seen as straying too far from its unification agenda. 
 
 Taiwan was a Japanese colony from 1885 to 1945 and split again from China amid civil war in 1949. 
 
 Chu was a late entry in the race after the party ditched its original candidate, Hung Hsiu-chu, whose abrasive style was seen as alienating voters. 
 
 China has largely declined to comment on the polls, although its chief official for Taiwan affairs this month warned of potential major challenges in the relationship in the year ahead. 
 
 Tsai supporters appeared confident that ties with China would weather a change in government. 
 
 "As long as Tsai doesn't provoke the other side, it's OK," said former newspaper distribution agent Lenex Chang, who attended Tsai's rally. "If mainland China democratizes someday, we could consider a tie-up," he added. 
 
 Candidates from across the political spectrum sounded a rare note of unity Saturday after a teenage pop star posted a video online apologizing for having waved the Taiwanese flag on a South Korean TV program. 
 
 Sixteen-year-old Chou Tzu-yu, who performs under the name Tzuyu, had apparently been compelled to apologize after her South Korean management company suspended her activities in China for fear of offending nationalist sentiments on the mainland. 
 
 Ma, Tsai and Chu all condemned what they described as the bullying of a young girl. 
 
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 Associated Press writer Ralph Jennings contributed to this report. ||||| Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Tsai Ing-wen said people in Taiwan wanted a transparent government 
 
 Tsai Ing-wen has been elected Taiwan's first female president. 
 
 Ms Tsai, 59, leads the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) that wants independence from China. 
 
 In her victory speech, she vowed to preserve the status quo in relations with China, adding Beijing must respect Taiwan's democracy and both sides must ensure there are no provocations. 
 
 China sees the island as a breakaway province - which it has threatened to take back by force if necessary. 
 
 In her speech, Ms Tsai hailed a "new era" in Taiwan and pledged to co-operate with other political parties on major issues. 
 
 The will of the Taiwanese people would be the basis for relations with China, Ms Tsai said. 
 
 "I also want to emphasise that both sides of the Taiwanese Strait have a responsibility to find mutually acceptable means of interaction that are based on dignity and reciprocity. 
 
 "We must ensure that no provocations or accidents take place," Ms Tsai said, warning that "any forms of suppression will harm the stability of cross-strait relations". 
 
 She thanked the US and Japan for their support and vowed Taiwan would contribute to peace and stability in the region. 
 
 Ms Tsai had a commanding lead in the vote count when Eric Chu of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) admitted defeat. 
 
 Mr Chu congratulated Tsai Ing-wen and announced he was quitting as KMT head. Taiwan's Premier Mao Chi-kuo also resigned. 
 
 Read more about Taiwan's election 
 
 Image copyright EPA 
 
 Taiwan's first female leader, shy but steely 
 
 Why does this election matter? 
 
 Who is running? 
 
 Is it all about the economy? 
 
 What's behind the China-Taiwan divide? 
 
 Taiwan profile 
 
 The election came just months after a historic meeting between the leaders of Taiwan and China. 
 
 However, the flagging economy as well as Taiwan's relationship with China both played a role in the voters' choice, correspondents say. 
 
 The KMT has been in power for most of the past 70 years and has overseen improved relations with Beijing - Ms Tsai's is only the second-ever victory for the DPP. 
 
 The first was by pro-independence advocate Chen Shui-bian; during his time as president between 2000 and 2008 tensions with China escalated. 
 
 Analysis: Cindy Sui, BBC News, Taipei 
 
 The victory by Tsai Ing-wen marks a defeat for not only the pro-unification ruling party KMT but also China. 
 
 Despite the past eight years of reduced tensions and much improved relations built by the KMT and China, Taiwanese voters have voted for Ms Tsai from the pro-independence party instead. Basically, they've voted to keep Beijing at a distance. 
 
 This reflects not only widespread dissatisfaction with President Ma Ying-jeou of the KMT over insufficient measures to improve the lacklustre economy, low wages and widening wealth gap - it also reflects growing worries by Taiwanese people that the island may become too economically dependent on China and that this will make it hard for Taiwan to fend off pressures by Beijing to reunify with it one day. 
 
 The message voters have sent Beijing is that, while they want reduced tensions and good relations, they cherish Taiwan's sovereignty, democracy and self-rule even more. 
 
 The challenge now is for Ms Tsai to find a way to work with China, the island's biggest export market, trade partner and security threat. 
 
 Ms Tsai, a former scholar, has said she wants to "maintain [the] status quo" with China. 
 
 She became chairwoman of the DPP in 2008, after it saw a string of corruption scandals. 
 
 She lost a presidential bid in 2012 but has subsequently led the party to regional election victories. She has won increased support from the public partly because of widespread dissatisfaction over the KMT and President Ma Ying-jeou's handling of the economy and widening wealth gap. 
 
 Image copyright AP Image caption Eric Chu's loss shows the KMT has lost a nearly 70-year monopoly on power 
 
 Saturday's polls come after a historic meeting between President Ma and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Singapore in November for talks that were seen as largely symbolic - the first in more than 60 years. 
 
 Eric Chu, 54, is the mayor of New Taipei City and stepped up to become chairman of the party in October. 
 
 The KMT has lost its majority in the legislature for the first time in history. 
 
 The former accounting professor was seen as popular with young people in the party, but had been unable to change public opinion that is increasingly unhappy with the party's friendly stance towards China and the island's economic travails. 
 
 In 2014, hundreds of students occupied the parliament in the largest show of anti-China sentiment on the island for years. Labelled the Sunflower Movement, protesters demanded more transparency in trade pacts negotiated with China. 
 
 Taiwan for all practical purposes been independent since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, when the defeated Nationalist government fled to the island as the Communists, under Mao Zedong, swept to power.
– Tsai Ing-wen promised a "new era" for Taiwan on Saturday after being elected as the island's first female president. The 59-year-old, from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party, defeated the Nationalist Party's Eric Chu with around 60% of the vote, reports the Los Angeles Times. Tsai will take office in May. Nationalist President Ma Ying-jeou has already served two terms and Taiwan's constitution didn't allow him to seek a third, the AP notes. "We failed. The Nationalist Party lost the elections. We didn't work hard enough," Chu told supporters at party headquarters, announcing his resignation as party chief. The election marks what the BBC calls a "turning point in Taiwan's democracy and relationship with China," which still officially considers the island to be a renegade province. "I am very happy. I feel I have finally accomplished something for Taiwan, so that Taiwan will have great autonomy instead of just following China," a 32-year-old engineer who voted for Tsai tells the LAT. Tsai has said she favors maintaining the status quo, though her refusal to support the principle of reunification between China and Taiwan makes it uncertain whether the closer ties with Beijing that Ma introduced will continue, reports the AP.