Candidates and global stakes unveiled for the upcoming Taiwan election
Taiwan’s ruling party presidential candidate Lai Ching-te said on Tuesday he would maintain the status quo and pursue peace through strength if elected, remaining open to engagement with Beijing under the preconditions of equality and dignity.
Beijing claims Taiwan as its own territory and has cast the island’s presidential and parliamentary elections on Saturday as a choice between peace and war across the Taiwan Strait.
Beijing has denounced Vice President Lai of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as a separatist and warned that any attempt to push for Taiwan’s formal independence means conflict. Taiwan’s government rejects China’s sovereignty assertion.
Despite this, Lai pledged to try to engage with China, noting dialogue could decrease cross-straits risks, and that peaceful development is in the best interests of both sides and the world.
