China's military has vowed to "crush" any efforts to promote Taiwan's independence a day before Taipei is set to hold local elections.
The self-governed island nation will have roughly 19.5 million voters who will select a new president and legislature on Saturday. It is an election that is key to determining the region's future relationship with Beijing.
China Vows To "Crush" Taiwan Independencex
While Taiwan is a democratic territory that governs itself, mainland China has, for a long time, maintained that it is a part of its territory and has no international recognition as a nation. This year's elections include the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which is seeking a third term.
It has always clashed with Beijing over its defense of Taiwan's sovereignty and independence. The party's candidate, William Lai, has been labeled as a troublemaker by China, who warned people against voting for him.
On the other side of the elections is the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), which has promised to promote better ties with mainland China as well as peace in the Taiwan Strait. There is also a third party in the ballot but opinion polls showed a tight race between the two leading parties, as per BBC.
But more than the conflict over Taiwan's independence, voters are more concerned about the region's economy. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen made an appearance in one of the areas where voting will be held and she was accompanied by PDP's vice-presidential candidate Hsiao Bi-Khim.
One voter, 28-year-old Huang said that the election marks the end of the era of DPP as well as the KMT, noting that it was time for the younger generation to arrive and make themselves heard. Observers also noted that the Taiwan People's Party has made inroads in capturing some support, particularly among the youth.
However, there are many others who view the elections differently, including Mrs. Liu, who works in the insurance industry. She said that she was born in Taiwan and argued that the island nation is walking the path of democracy and progress but cannot turn back.
Taiwan's Local Elections
Hundreds of thousands of voters attended the final pre-election rallies in Taiwan on Friday in advance of critical presidential and parliamentary polls. In a statement, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said that the Chinese People's Liberation Army maintained high vigilance at all times, according to Aljazeera.
He said that they would take all necessary measures to "firmly crush" Taiwan's independence and all forms of such attempts. The official also talked about Taiwan's air force upgrading F-16 fighter jets and buying more units from the United States.
He said that even with these efforts, the governing DPP "cannot stop the trend of complete reunification of the motherland." Beijing has also framed Taiwan's elections as a choice between "peace and war." It called the DPP dangerous separatists and urged the island's people to make the right choice.
A political analyst based in Taipei, Michael Cole said that every election in the island nation is significant because of the potential for Beijing to react in a way that could contribute to further instability in the region, said CBS News.
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