Asian Insider: Who will be Taiwan’s next president? | Indian temple rises from rubble

Dear ST reader,

We hope you’ve been keeping well.

It’s just two days to go until the Taiwan elections, and candidates have been canvassing the ground and drawing crowds in the thousands to their rallies. Our correspondents Yip Wai Yee and Ho Ai Li delve into the background of the three men running for president, offering us a glimpse of what the island’s next leader could be like.

Over in the US, bureau chief Bhagyashree Garekar reports on vice-president candidate Hsiao Bi-khim, who’s been instrumental in boosting ties between Taipei and Washington, and adds foreign policy heft to the campaign of her running mate and top contender Lai Ching-te.

Political fortunes look unsettled elsewhere in Asia. Wendy Teo analyses the leadership crisis faced by South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol over his wife’s alleged wrongdoings, while Indonesia bureau chief Arlina Arshad says front-runner presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto could have upset his chances for a first-round victory at elections in February.

And while Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina may have retained power in polls boycotted by the opposition, the world’s longest-serving female leader has to tackle a raft of economic problems, reports India bureau chief Nirmala Ganapathy.

Shifting to lighter fare, Indochina bureau chief Tan Hui Yee visits a factory in Vietnam processing farmed crickets and tells us why this insect could be the food of the future. Meanwhile, fans of “xianxia” dramas should read Chang May Choon’s piece on how these fantasy worlds can be used to promote China’s soft power.