TAIPEI -- Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Thursday won her party's nomination for the 2020 presidential election, helped in part by her incumbent status and anti-Beijing stance as fears grow over China's role in Hong Kong.
Her pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party said Tsai gained about 35% of support in polls taken this week of citizens from any party affiliation, defeating her closest rival, former premier William Lai (27%). The surveys also put her ahead of Han Kuo-yu, the Kaohsiung city mayor from the China-friendly Kuomintang, and Ko Wen-je, the independent Taipei city mayor.