Why Taiwan is 2024's first big election to watch

Even amid a historically packed global election calendar in 2024, next week's presidential contest in Taiwan will be one of the most closely watched and significant. The political future of the island and its historically fraught relationship with China — by far the main issue for voters this year — will have consequences not just for Taiwan's nearly 24 million people, but for global security and prosperity. China views Taiwan as a rebellious province, rather than an independent country, and Beijing's longstanding position is that the two should be reunified. Chinese President Xi Jinping recently described this reunification as a…