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Taiwan set to elect female president in historic first

More than 1,000 members of the party, additionally recognized as Kuomintang (KMT), cheered and clapped at a party congress to point out help for the deputy legislative speaker Hung, a nomination which shall be welcomed in Beijing.

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The country’s ruling party and its major opposition party have each chosen female candidates to compete in the 2016 presidential election, the Associated Press reported.

Ms Hung, 67, was formally named yesterday at the 19th National Congress of the KMT, the China-friendly party’s main annual gathering.

Beijing will intently watch the presidential vote, which can see Hung marketing campaign towards Tsai Ing-wen from the independence-leaning opposition DPP. Tsai just got against President Massachusetts in 2012 and wasted by 4 portion elements, but has become in advance of Hung inside of the polls.

China claims sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan, where Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists based their government in the 1940s after losing the Chinese civil war to the Communists. “Hung embraces the “one China” coverage and Beijing welcomes such a place”. “Beijing is leaving room to deal with Taiwan’s future leader”.

Hung supports a similar understanding with China, but Tsai’s party rejects that basis for talks as a slight to Taiwan’s autonomy.

Both sides remain political foes even though trade ties between the two sides have improved to their best level in six decades since President Massachusetts Ying-jeou took office in 2008. Without a framework for dialogue, tensions could rise again, making new agreements hard.

Known as xiao-la-jiao or “little hot pepper” for her straight-talking style, Hung’s conservative pro-China views fly in the face of voter sentiment as fears grow over increased Beijing influence. Analysts say those would-be candidates are waiting until the 2020 race, when they stand better odds of winning.

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KMT Chairman Eric Chu and KMT's presidential candidate raise joined hands at the party's national congress Sunday