Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said Sunday that the self-governing island's democracy remains under direct threat from rival China, underscoring her calls for closer ties with the US and other allies.
Tsai was speaking at a televised debate against Han Kuo-yu of the main opposition Nationalist Party and veteran politician James Soong of the People's First Party. Elections for president and the legislature are set for January 11. Most polls show Tsai leading in her quest for a second four-year term.
Tsai said she would preserve Taiwan's freedoms and way of life, but would make no changes to the constitution or the island's official name, the Republic of China, which moved its seat of government to Taipei, the island's capital, following the Communist Party's seizure of power on mainland China in 1949.
"Taiwan's most pressing challenge arises from China's expanding ambitions," Tsai said. "The situation in our region is ever-more complex and Taiwan's sovereignty its free, democratic way of life is under threat of being stripped away and undermined."