Taiwan has just elected Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leader Tsai Ing-Wen to be the island’s next president.

Tsai, 59, gained a law degree from Cornell in the US and a PhD from the London School of Economics, and so Taiwan’s first female president, and one of the most powerful women in the world, is firmly western in her approach and politics.

Her assumption of power comes amid widespread discontent with the previous government, the KMT, which ran the island for past eight years under president Ma Ying-Jeou. During his rule economic growth faltered, despite deeper economic integration with China.

Before last year’s gay pride parade in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital, Tsai declared support for gay marriage, saying: “In the face of love, everyone is equal. Let everyone have the freedom to love and to pursue their happiness. I am Tsai Ing-wen, and I support marriage equality”. In part because of this her support amongst the young has been especially strong.

Berkeley Squares will report on her impact in future editions.