A child holds a Taiwan’s national flag during an election campaign rally of Kuomintang (KMT) in New Taipei City on January 12, 2024.
I-Hwa CHENG / AFP
Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to noisy closing rallies Friday as Taiwan’s presidential candidates made a last push for votes in an election that China has warned could take the island closer to war.
Taiwan’s bustling democracy of 23 million people is separated by a narrow 180-kilometre (110-mile) strait from communist-ruled China, which claims the island as part of its territory.
Saturday’s election is being closely watched around the world as the winner will lead the strategically important island — a major producer of vital semiconductors — as it manages ties with an increasingly assertive China.
Vice President Lai Ching-te, the front-runner candidate of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), paints…
