Taiwan voters choosing next president in poll weighing China’s threat and island’s stability

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Polls closed Saturday after Taiwanese cast their votes for a new president and legislature in an election that could chart the trajectory of the self-ruled democracy's relations with China over the next four years. At stake is the peace and stability of the island 160 kilometers (100 miles) off the coast of China that Beijing claims as its own, to be retaken by force if necessary. Domestic issues such as the sluggish economy and expensive housing also featured prominently in the campaign. Vice President Lai Ching-te, representing the governing Democratic Progressive Party, known as the DPP,…