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Taiwan’s people have to choose in next year’s election whether the island keeps moving forward on a road to democracy or “walks into the embrace of China”, the frontrunner to be the next president said on Tuesday.
The issue of China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, looms large ahead of the Jan. 13 presidential and parliamentary elections, especially as Beijing has been stepping up its military pressure on the island.
Lai Ching-te, vice president and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) presidential candidate, has led in most opinion polls ahead of the election. The DPP champions Taiwan’s separate identity from China.
The largest opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), which traditionally favors close ties with Beijing, is locked in a dispute with the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) about which of their candidates should run as president and which as vice president after agreeing to work together.
Lai, speaking to reporters and supporters after formally registering his candidacy with the election commission, said Taiwan’s security was an international issue and the world was watching the election.
