TAIPEI (AFP) : Millions of Taiwanese voted Saturday for a new president in the face of threats from China that choosing the wrong leader could set the stage for war on the self-ruled island.
Beijing slammed frontrunner Lai Ching-te, the current vice president, as a dangerous “separatist” in the days leading up to the poll, and on the eve of the vote, its defence ministry vowed to “crush” any move towards Taiwanese independence.
Communist China claims self-ruled Taiwan, separated from the mainland by a 180-kilometre (110-mile) strait, as its own and says it will not rule out using force to bring about “unification”, even if conflict does not appear imminent.
Voting began at 8:00 am (0000 GMT) at nearly 18,000 polling stations across the island, with almost 20 million people eligible to cast ballots.
In a Taipei school, 54-year-old professor Karen was the first in line to enter a polling booth.
“I looked into the ballot box and felt that I’ve never been as excited as this moment, because there is one candidate I believe who can bring hope to the future of Taiwan,” she told AFP.
A 70-year-old retiree surnamed Liu arrived early at a New Taipei City elementary school, the same station where current President Tsai Ing-wen voted.
“I hope the next administration will do as well as the current one,” she said.
Taiwan has strict election laws for polling day that effectively prevent media from asking voters about their specific choices to avoid influencing the outcome.
‘Hard-won democracy’
Results are expected Saturday evening, with the outcome watched closely from Beijing to Washington — the island’s main military partner — as the two superpowers tussle for influence in the strategically vital region.
During a raucous campaign, Lai, of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), pitched himself as the defender of Taiwan’s democratic way of life.
“Please go out and vote to show the vitality of Taiwan’s democracy,” he told reporters before casting his ballot in a school gymnasium in the southern city of Tainan.
“This is Taiwan’s hard-won democracy. We should all cherish our democracy and vote enthusiastically.”
His main opponent, Hou Yu-ih, of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), favours warmer ties with China and accuses the DPP of antagonising Beijing with its stance that Taiwan is “already independent”.
Hou’s KMT has said it will boost economic prosperity, while maintaining strong relationships with international partners, including the United States.
Taiwan bans the publishing of polls within 10 days of elections, but political observers say the 64-year-old Lai is expected to win the top seat, though his party is likely to lose its parliamentary majority.
The race has also seen the rise of the upstart populist Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), whose leader Ko Wen-je has drawn support with an anti-establishment offer of a “third way” out of the two-party deadlock.
– China censorship –
Located on a key maritime gateway linking the South China Sea to the Pacific Ocean, Taiwan is home to a powerhouse semiconductor industry producing precious microchips — the lifeblood of the global economy powering everything from smartphones to cars and missiles.
China has stepped up military pressure on Taiwan in recent years, periodically stoking worries about a potential invasion.
Chinese President Xi Jinping in a recent New Year’s address said the “unification” of Taiwan with China was “inevitable”.
As voters cast their ballots, AFP reporters spotted a fighter jet in the skies above the island of Pingtan, the nearest Chinese point to Taiwan’s main island.
The hashtag “Taiwan election” was among the top trending items on China’s social media platform Weibo before it was blocked at around 9:45 am local time (0145 GMT).
Chinese warplanes and naval ships probe Taiwan’s defences almost every day, and Beijing has in recent years also staged massive war games — simulating a blockade of the island and sending missiles into its surrounding waters.
The Chinese military said the night before the polls it would “take all necessary measures to firmly crush ‘Taiwan independence’ attempts of all forms”.
Hours before the vote, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met a senior Chinese official in Washington and stressed the importance of “maintaining peace and stability” across the Taiwan Strait.
Critics of the DPP blame current President Tsai Ing-wen for provoking China by insisting that Taiwan is “already independent”, a stance that Beijing considers a red line.
Under Taiwanese law, Tsai can not run again as she has served the maximum two terms.
As well as a president, voters will also elect lawmakers to Taiwan’s 113-seat legislature.
