Polls open as Taiwan voters choose next president

Taiwanese have started casting their votes for a new president in an election that could chart the trajectory of its relations with China over the next four years.

Polls opened on Saturday at 8:00 am [0000 GMT] at nearly 18,000 locations, from the island's south to its capital Taipei.

At stake is the future of the 177-kilometre-wide strip of water between China and the island that Beijing says is its breakaway province.

Vice President Lai Ching-te, representing the governing Democratic Progressive Party, known as the DPP, seeks to succeed the outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen and give the independence-leaning party an unprecedented third term.

Lai will be voting in his hometown of Tainan.

Hou Yu-ih, the candidate of Beijing-favoured Kuomintang Party, also known as the Nationalist Party, will be casting his ballot in New Taipei City.

Alternative candidate Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People's Party, who has shown popularity among young voters who seek an alternative to the two major parties, will be voting in Taipei.

Cog in the world economy

Located on a key maritime gateway linking the South China Sea to the Pacific Ocean, Taiwan is home to a powerhouse semiconductor industry producing precious microchips — the lifeblood of the global economy powering everything from smartphones to cars and missiles.

A day before the election, China's military vowed to "crush" any efforts to promote Taiwan's independence.

"The Chinese People's Liberation Army maintains high vigilance at all times and will take all necessary measures to firmly crush 'Taiwan independence' attempts of all forms," Defence Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said in a statement.

Chinese warplanes and naval ships probe Taiwan's defences almost every day, and Beijing has, in recent years, also staged massive war games — simulating a blockade of the island and sending missiles into its surrounding waters.

A blockade would turn the key Taiwan Strait into a chokehold, affecting the transport of 50 percent of the world's containers and costing the global economy at least $2 trillion, according to one analysis.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a recent New Year's address, said the "unification" of Taiwan with China was "inevitable".

Critics of the DPP blame current President Tsai Ing-wen for provoking China by insisting that Taiwan is "already independent", a stance that Beijing considers a red line.

Under Taiwan law, Tsai cannot run again as she has served the maximum two terms.