Why the Taiwan election matters

All eyes will be on Taiwan when the self-governing island of 23 million people goes to the polls on 13 January.

Whoever is elected president on Saturday will shape relations with both Beijing and Washington - Taiwan is a key flashpoint in their tussle for power in this region.

And it will also have crucial implications for the island's neighbours as well as allies like Japan who are wary of Beijing's aggressive moves in the South China Sea.

China is among the top concerns for most voters, given that its People's Liberation Army has dialled up pressure on the island over the past year with a record number of incursions.

Beijing has long claimed the island, but ties have especially soured in recent years under President Tsai Ing-wen and her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Her careful but unwavering defence of the island's sovereign status led to China suspending formal communications with Taiwan - Beijing said it was because of Taiwan's refusal to accept the One China principle, which is the belief that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China and will be unified with it one day.

Things got worse in 2022, when then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei infuriated Beijing - it staged elaborate military drills in the Taiwan Strait that resembled a near-blockade of the island. Later that year, the US said Xi Jinping had sped up the timeline for unification.

During this time, Taiwan has grown close to the US, including securing billions of dollars in new weapons from Washington.

The DPP's vice-president William Lai, who has been pegged as the frontrunner in the presidential race, is deeply disliked by Beijing. It sees him as an advocate for Taiwan independence, based on his younger, more vocal days, but he now