The World Ahead Globe Icon
The World Ahead | Asia in 2024

China is watching closely who will be Taiwan’s next president

It prefers, as always, the KMT candidate

A man, amongst anti-tank fortifications, photographs the sunset over Chinese city Xiamen from Taiwan.
We hope not to fight them on the beachesImage: Getty Images

By Alice Su

On January 13th 2024 Taiwan’s voters will elect a new president. The stakes are high. Tensions between China and America may reach a critical point in the next four years. America’s intelligence agency, the CIA, has said that Xi Jinping wants China’s military to be ready for an invasion of Taiwan by 2027. Taiwan’s next president will determine the island’s strategy to prevent that invasion, and preserve its sovereignty and democracy.

Explore more

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition of The World Ahead 2024 under the headline “Facing the dragon”

Discover more

The World Ahead The World Ahead

The World Ahead 2024

Future-gazing analysis, predictions and speculation

The World Ahead The World Ahead

The World Ahead 2024

Future-gazing analysis, predictions and speculation


The World Ahead The World Ahead

The World Ahead 2024

Future-gazing analysis, predictions and speculation


The World Ahead The World Ahead

The World Ahead 2024

Future-gazing analysis, predictions and speculation

The World Ahead The World Ahead

The World Ahead 2024

Future-gazing analysis, predictions and speculation

The World Ahead The World Ahead

Introducing The World Ahead 2024

Future-gazing analysis, predictions and speculation



Discover more

An illustration of two eyes with binary code with the China flag between them. A wavy strip of blue runs along the top whilst below is a smaller US flag, three Yuan symbols, a cursor symbol, wifi symbol, dollar sign and circuit-board patterns along with mo

America v China: who controls Asia’s internet?

Amid an explosive data and AI boom the superpower contest hots up

People crossing a river.

Podcast Drum Tower

Why Chinese migrants are crossing dangerous jungle to reach America

Our weekly podcast on China. This week, in the first episode of a four-part series, we travel to Colombia to meet Chinese migrants en route to the southern border of the United States


A chinese family crossing Darien Gap jungle

How to escape from China to America

We travel with Chinese migrants on the deadly journey to America’s border


Michael Kovrig, former hostage of the Chinese state

Three years after his release, the Canadian tells his story to The Economist

Why China is awash in unwanted milk

Dairy farmers are dumping the stuff, as some call for culling cows

China is using an “anaconda strategy” to squeeze Taiwan

Taiwan’s navy commander warns that his forces are increasingly strained