From the shores of Kinmen Island, the skyscrapers towering above the horizon on the Chinese mainland are usually clearly visible. Situated just a few miles from Xiamen, one of China’s fastest growing cities, it’s cloudy the day I visit, so all I see is fog and haze. The weather matches the tiny island’s mood, as people here digest the results of Taiwan’s election that saw the Democratic Progressive Party win a third term in office.

Typically a stronghold of the Kuomintang, the opposition party seen as closest to Beijing, many on Kinmen are quietly disappointed that the DPP’s Lai Ching-te will be sworn in as president in May. They see cross-strait tensions rising as a result — and that directly threatens their lives and livelihoods. Kinmen, also known as Quemoy, sits on the front line between the mainland and Taiwan, and, along with the other islands of Matsu, Dongyin and Penghu, is seen as a target in any potential Chinese attack.