A new turning point in Taiwan.

More than 19.5 million Taiwanese voters cast their ballots today, January 13, to elect a new leader and members of the Legislative Yuan, in an election closely watched by mainland China and other parties.

According to CNA, this leadership election is a three-way race to choose a successor after Tsai Ing-wen of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) will step down in May and will not be eligible for re-election having already served two terms. The campaigning has been fierce in recent months, with candidates campaigning until the evening of January 12th.

From left to right: Candidates Lai Thanh Duc, Hau Huu Nghi, and Kha Van Triet

Observers believe the key issues influencing the vote are relations with Beijing, economic policies, and youth policies. The Democratic Progressive Party's representative is Lai Ching-te (65 years old), who became Taiwan's vice leader four years ago on a joint ticket with Tsai Ing-wen. According to AFP, Lai is more outspoken about Taiwan's independence, an issue considered a red line by mainland China.

The Global Times quoted Chen Banhua, spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, as saying that Lai's statements indicate that if elected, he would promote the issue of "Taiwan's independence" and create a dangerous situation in the Taiwan Strait. Lai had previously pledged unwavering support for maintaining the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and declared his willingness to open up exchanges and cooperation with Beijing "on the condition of equality and respect." He also promised to increase wages, reduce taxes, and build more social housing.

The Kuomintang (KMT) candidate is Hou Yu-yi (67), a former police chief and former mayor of New Taipei City. Hou, a candidate from Taiwan's opposition party and pro-Beijing, described the election as a choice between "war and peace ," saying his three-decade career in law enforcement would help him "protect Taiwan." "I can maintain peace across the Taiwan Strait and will do my best to avoid war and help people live peaceful lives," he stated. The candidate criticized the DPP for what he called "the worst economic performance in 14 years," and pledged to negotiate with Beijing as soon as possible on issues related to the cross-strait trade agreement.

The third party in this election is the People's Party (TPP), represented by candidate Ko Wen-je (65 years old). Mr. Ko is a former surgeon and was the first independent candidate to be elected Mayor of Taipei in 2014. According to The Washington Post , analysts believe that many voters under 40, tired of the debate surrounding relations with Beijing, now want politicians to focus more on everyday issues such as inflation, stagnant wages, rising housing prices, climate change, and same-sex child custody. Observers note that Mr. Ko claims he can bring a pragmatic approach to Taiwan's internal affairs and economic challenges, but lacks experience in international relations.

The US will send a delegation to Taiwan.

According to CNN, citing senior US officials, President Joe Biden will send an unofficial delegation to Taiwan after the election on the island. The delegation is expected to include former high-ranking officials, but the specific composition is unclear. Xinhua News Agency reported on January 11th that Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning stated that the election in Taiwan is purely an internal matter of China, and urged the US not to interfere in the Taiwanese election in any way. At a press conference yesterday, the Chinese Ministry of Defense declared that its military will take all necessary measures to crush any attempts to demand "Taiwan independence" in any form.

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