Taiwan ruling party candidate will maintain status quo, engage with China

As the presidential candidate of Taiwan's governing party, Lai Ching-te, stated on Tuesday that, should he be elected, he would uphold the status quo and seek peace through strength while staying amenable to dialogue with Beijing on the basis of equality and dignity. Beijing has declared Taiwan to be its own territory and framed Saturday's presidential and legislative elections on the island as a decision between peace and war on the other side of the Taiwan Strait. Beijing has called Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Vice President Lai a separatist and issued a warning that any attempt to advocate for Taiwan's…