TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The 2024 presidential election that could change the world is not the U.S. one scheduled for November but this weekend’s Taiwan election, CNN reported on Thursday (Jan. 11).

The results of Saturday’s (Jan. 13) presidential and legislative elections in Taiwan will “reverberate far beyond its borders,” the report said. China’s response to the election outcome will influence whether Beijing and Washington can manage tensions or slide toward confrontation and conflict, according to CNN.

The report said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Lai Ching-te (賴清德) had turned from describing himself as “a practical worker for Taiwan independence” to a defender of the status quo. KMT candidate Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) advocated boosting ties with China but also wanted to strengthen Taiwan’s defense.

Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chair Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) addressed “bread-and-butter” issues popular with younger voters and took a more centrist stance on relations with China.

How Beijing reacts after the election will be watched by a world already worried by wars in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, the CNN report said. Military exercises, trade sanctions, and even a blockade are potential responses from China, but an outright invasion is unlikely to be imminent, it said.