China Calls Taiwan Poll Frontrunner A 'Severe Danger' Days From Crucial Vote

Presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih said he will not 'sell out' Taiwan to China, pledging to maintain a strong relationship with the United States if elected (Credit: AFP)

China warned Taiwan's voters Thursday to make the correct choice in the island's weekend elections, describing the presidential frontrunner as a "severe danger" who would threaten peace by following the "evil path" of independence.

Democratic Taiwan is two days from a pivotal election that is being watched from Beijing to Washington because the next president will determine the island's future relations with an increasingly assertive China in a flashpoint region.