Taiwan will go to the polls on Saturday to pick a new president

<p>If you've been following along on the news on China and Taiwan you'll know that a stated goal of Chinese Communist Party Chairman Xi Jinping is to take over Taiwan. He emphasises this from time to time by firing off missiles at the tiny neighbouring country. </p><p>While there are many issues of importance to Taiwanese voters the big one is how to deal with ties with China.</p><p>The leading candidate is current Vice President Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party</p><ul><li>Beijing demonize this man as a separatist</li></ul><p>The second placed (in polls) candidate is Hou Yu-ih of the Kuomintang, or Nationalist Party</p><ul><li>supports closer ties with mainland China</li></ul><p>There is the third-party candidate, Ko Wen-je, whose views on China are more difficult to pin down, they can be changeable.</p><p>***</p><p>The people of Taiwan have discussed in the past a Hong Kong-like political arrangement, in which Beijing assumes sovereignty while offering some autonomy. Support for this has collapsed since the harsh crackdown in the former British colony.</p><p>***</p><p>Stay tuned for results after voting over the weekend. And best of luck to the people of Taiwan, lets hope for a peaceful one!</p>

This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at www.forexlive.com.