Taiwan election: What you need to know and what it means for U.S.-China relations

On Saturday, voters in Taiwan will elect a new president, with potentially major implications for cross-Strait and U.S.-China relations.

TAIPEI, Taiwan — 2024 is a year of pivotal elections, and not just in the United States.

Among the first up is Taiwan, a Beijing-claimed island that is one of the strongest democracies in Asia. On Saturday, voters here will elect a new president to replace Tsai Ing-wen, who is limited to two terms.

A key issue for the three men vying to succeed her, all of whom spoke with NBC News, is how they would approach relations with an increasingly aggressive China, which has not ruled out the use of force against Taiwan and has framed the election as “a choice between war and peace.”

This election is Taiwan’s opportunity to balance its position between the U.S., its most important international backer, and China, its largest trading partner, said Wen-Ti Sung, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council who is based in Taipei. 

“Having strong relations, close ties with both sides, it’s really caught in the middle,” he said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/taiwan-presidential-election-us-china-relations-rcna132798

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