Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen resigned as chair of the Democratic People's Party (DPP) and took the blame for its underperformance in local elections.

"The election results were not as expected. I should shoulder all the responsibility and I resign as DPP chairwoman immediately," Tsai explained, adding that she will remain in the post of president.

The move comes after the pro-China opposition won the mayorship in Taipei and a number of other local elections on the disputed island on Saturday.