On the 4th, with two weeks left until the voting day for Taiwan's presidential election, which is held once every four years, a televised debate was held between the three candidates, and discussions were held over relations with China, which has become a major issue in the election campaign.
The debate was co-hosted by Taiwanese media and was attended by three candidates: Mr. Li Ching-de of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Mr. Hou Yuyi of the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), and Mr. Ke Wen-che of the People's Party, the second opposition party.
Mr. Li of the ruling party, who is leading in opinion polls, expressed his position that China and Taiwan are separate, which is a major issue in the election campaign, and criticized the positions of the two opposition candidates, saying, "Both are based on the principle of 'one China.'"
On the other hand, two opposition parties severely criticized Mr. Li's stance based on his former statement that he was a realistic Taiwan independence agent, and Mr. Hou, the largest opposition party, said, "Your claim harms the security of Taiwan."
Mr. Ke also accused the United States, saying, "The United States has clearly stated that it does not support 'Taiwan independence,' so how can we realistically proceed with 'Taiwan independence.'"
In response, Mr. Li said, "Taiwan's sovereignty belongs to 2 million people, not China, and this is the definition of 'Taiwan independence.'" This is what a 'pragmatic worker' should strive for."
In the remaining two weeks until election day, each candidate will hold large-scale rallies in various parts of the country to increase the number of votes.