Drum Tower: Taiwan goes to the polls

<p>China is watching <a href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/2024-taiwan-election?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=drumtower&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Taiwan’s next presidential</a> race closely. The results will <a href="https://www.economist.com/china/2024/01/04/for-china-taiwans-elections-are-a-looming-crisishttps://www.economist.com/china/2023/11/16/xi-jinping-repeats-imperial-chinas-mistakes?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=drumtower&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">influence Xi Jinping’s</a> next steps when it comes to resolving the “Taiwan question”.&nbsp;</p><br /><p>Ahead of the vote on January 13th, Alice Su, our senior China correspondent, goes to campaign rallies of the 3 parties in the race. We meet voters, young and old, who each have a different idea of who should win and why. Together with David Rennie, our Beijing bureau chief, they ask: is the election of Taiwan’s next President really a choice between war or peace, as some candidates are saying?</p><br /><p>If you’re interested in Taiwan, listen to our four-part series on the future of the island.&nbsp;</p><br /><p>1. <a href="https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2023/10/24/what-does-taiwan-want?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=drumtower&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">What does Taiwan want?</a></p><p>2. <a href="https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2023/10/31/how-strong-is-taiwans-silicon-shield?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=drumtower&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">How strong is Taiwan’s silicon shield?</a></p><p>3. <a href="https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2023/11/07/is-taiwan-ready-for-war?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=drumtower&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Is Taiwan ready for war?</a></p><p>4. <a href="https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2023/11/14/could-china-take-over-taiwan-without-force?utm_campaign=a.io&amp;utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&amp;utm_source=drumtower&amp;utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&amp;utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Could China take over Taiwan without force?</a></p><br /><p><em>Sign up for a </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus?purchaseRedirect=economist.com/audio/podcasts/onboarding?podcast=babbage" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>free trial</em></a><em> of Economist Podcasts+. If you’re already a subscriber to The Economist, you’ll have full access to all our shows as part of your subscription. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48TlDbL-4vU" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p><hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>