He also said that he would like to negotiate a peace accord with Beijing officials someday that would end hostilities across the Taiwan Strait, using a diplomatic framework in which each side would acknowledge each other’s existence without resolving less tractable issues of sovereignty.

Image Ma Ying-jeou, center, celebrated his victory in Taiwan's presidential election on Saturday in Taipei. Credit... David Longstreath/Associated Press

Chinese government officials still had no response to the election results by Sunday morning, but had made little secret of their hope that Mr. Ma would win. “China has a love-hate relationship with Ma  when I visited China last November, they criticized Ma a lot, and then asked me to vote for Ma,” said Yen Chen-Shen, a political scientist at National Chengchi University.

American officials have been deeply frustrated with President Chen Shui-bian, also of the Democratic Progressive Party, and have sought to reduce tensions between Taiwan and the mainland while preserving the status quo. Mr. Chen is stepping down after two four-year terms.

But the Bush administration has also been irritated by the reluctance of Nationalists in the legislature to vote for purchases of American weapon systems.

Many in Taiwan have preferred to spend money on social programs while relying on the United States military to deter aggression by the mainland, prompting bitter jokes among American military personnel that if mainland military forces ever land on Taiwan, the Taiwanese will fight them to the last American. Cheng Ta-chen, a Nationalist aide to Mr. Ma on security policy, said that the Nationalists had not been given enough information by President Chen to understand and approve military purchases.

President Bush, in a statement, congratulated Mr. Ma on the victory and called it a step toward better relations with the mainland. “I believe the election provides a fresh opportunity for both sides to reach out and engage one another in peacefully resolving their differences,” he said.

After his inauguration, scheduled for May 20, Mr. Ma will have almost complete political power to pursue his agenda. His party and two tiny affiliated parties together took three-quarters of the legislature in January elections. Nationalists also serve as the magistrates, a position akin to mayor, in 15 of Taiwan’s 25 largest cities. The extent of Nationalist control made some voters nervous on Saturday.