Profile: Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan's first female president

Tsai Ing-wen made history in 2016 as Taiwan's first female president - now, as she prepares to leave office, her defence of Taiwan's sovereignty may arguably define her legacy.

Her refusal to acknowledge "The 1992 consensus", the vaguely-worded agreement which says Taiwan is part of "One China", led Beijing to label her a separatist. She has also said China needs to show Taiwan respect and that Taipei will not bow to pressure.

The 67-year-old's strong stance has won her admirers and detractors in equal measure.

With three presidential candidates vying to replace Ms Tsai in Saturday's election, and Beijing keeping a watchful eye on proceedings, the question of how to deal with China remains a key issue at the ballot box.

Yet China has not been the only threat to her years in office, with other policy decisions leaving some wondering if she would be a one-term president.

Attempts to promote green energy ended with her being accused of nearly causing an electricity shortage, while the offer of two days off a week for all workers was rejected amid allegations of hurting, rather than increasing, workers' earnings and holidays.

Making Taiwan the first Asian society where gay marriage is legal - a move which earned her plaudits around the world - also damaged her popularity at home.

Whether she would even run for a second term was uncertain, with a former subordinate challenging for her party's nomination and - at one point - her approval rating hitting the 15% mark.

But it seems that her biggest headache - China - was the very thing that helped her decisively win another four years in office in the January 2020 elections.

Ms Tsai positioned herself as a defender of Taiwan's sovereignty against China's view that the island must one