If you’ve been following along on the news on China and Taiwan you’ll know that a stated goal of Chinese Communist Party Chairman Xi Jinping is to take over Taiwan. He emphasises this from time to time by firing off missiles at the tiny neighbouring country.
While there are many issues of importance to Taiwanese voters the big one is how to deal with ties with China.
The leading candidate is current Vice President Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party
- Beijing demonize this man as a separatist
The second placed (in polls) candidate is Hou Yu-ih of the Kuomintang, or Nationalist Party
- supports closer ties with mainland China
There is the third-party candidate, Ko Wen-je, whose views on China are more difficult to pin down, they can be changeable.
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The people of Taiwan have discussed in the past a Hong Kong-like political arrangement, in which Beijing assumes sovereignty while offering some autonomy. Support for this has collapsed since the harsh crackdown in the former British colony.
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Stay tuned for results after voting over the weekend. And best of luck to the people of Taiwan, lets hope for a peaceful one!