Taiwan Presidential Candidates Sharpen Cross-Strait Relations Rhetoric

FILE - A Taiwan national flag flutters near the Taipei 101 building at the National Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall in Taipei, Taiwan, on May 7, 2023. FILE - A Chinese soldier stands guard outside the Great Hall of the People after the opening ceremony of The Third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, Oct. 18, 2023.

Weeks before Taiwan’s January 13 presidential and legislative election, the three presidential candidates – Hou Yu-ih, Lai Ching-te, and Ko Wen-je – have increased efforts to sharpen rhetoric on cross-strait relations, an issue long dominating Taiwan’s politics.