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Hello and welcome to Chinese Whispers with me, Cindy Yu. Every episode, I'll be talking to journalists, experts and long-time China

watches about the latest in Chinese politics, society and more. There'll be a smattering

of history to catch you up on the background knowledge and some context as well. How do the

Chinese see these issues? Taiwan goes to the polls in just over a month. This is an election that could have wide repercussions,

given the island status as a potential flashpoint in the coming years.

The incumbent president, Cai Yun Wen, is coming to the end of two elected terms,

meaning that she cannot run again.

Her party's chosen successor is William Lai, Lai Tintur, who is the current vice president.

For most of this year, he has been facing off opposition from the Kuomintang, the biggest opposition

party in Taiwan, and the Taiwan People's Party, a third party, led by the charismatic Koenzer.

Lai remains in the lead with a month to go, but polls show that the KMT is only a few points behind,

meaning that an upset is still possible.

Since Taiwan became a democracy, it's the KMT that has been the party calling for closer relations to China,

and Thai and Lai's DPP that has been more pro-independence and pro-West.

Given Beijing has shut off the hotline with Taipei

in protest of the DPP since Thai was first elected in 2016, if her successor wins in January,

relations with Beijing are unlikely to get better. But how can the KMT justify closer relations

with China when it seems like the world is in a much different place compared to 2015,

the last time they held the presidency.

Joining me to discuss all these issues and more is William Yang, a Taipei-based freelance

correspondent, who has written for Voice of America, Deutsche Villa, the Guardian and the Times.

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