China has been accused of trying to influence Taiwan’s presidential election through a disinformation campaign but if President Tsai Ing-wen wins a second term, it would mean Beijing’s purported attempts to sway voters would have failed miserably. Dr Hoo Tiang Boon, who researches cross-strait ties at RSIS, said China would be hoping for Ms Tsai to make a concession by acknowledging the 1992 Consensus should she win. He added: “I think the Chinese leaders are realistic enough to know unification is not on the cards in the short or even mid-term. But it’s an issue you don’t want to be seen as being weak on. Taiwan is deemed as China’s No. 1 core interest and no Chinese leader can survive politically if he’s seen as the one to allow Taiwan to be ‘lost’ from the mainland.”