2 women to vie for Taiwan presidency for 1st time; island's ties with China campaign issue
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Taiwan's ruling Nationalist Party has picked a former teacher and current deputy legislative speaker to run in next year's presidential election. She will face off against another female candidate in a historic first.
Taiwan, democratic since the late 1980s, has never elected a woman president nor had a choice between two female candidates backed by the major parties.
The Nationalists on Sunday picked Hung Hsiu-chu. She will run against Tsai Ing-wen, the opposition Democratic Progressive Party chairwoman and an advocate of a more cautious attitude to Taiwan's rival, China. Tsai leads in polls ahead of the January 2016 election.
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Ties with Beijing have shaped up as an early campaign issue.
Beijing claims sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan and insists that the two sides eventually reunite.