JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: More rhetoric from China ahead of Taiwan's presidential election this weekend. China's premier warned yesterday that a win by the independence-minded candidate could lead to war. CNN's Mike Chinoy takes a look at how the war of words is affecting voters in the last crucial days of the campaign.</s>MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The verbal fireworks across the Taiwan Strait are overshadowing the fireworks on the campaign trail here. As Chen Shui-bian of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, Independent James Soong and Vice President Lien Chan of the ruling Kuomintang Party crisscross the island, Beijing's threats remain the central issue. Chen Shui-bian, the chief target of China's anger because of his past support for Taiwan independence, sought to reassure anxious voters and a worried region. Chen has moderated his views during this campaign. He's promised not to declare Taiwan an independent state. He has proposed talks with Beijing. But his pro-independence history hangs over him. Public anxiety has triggered a series of sharp falls in the Taiwan Stock Exchange this week, prompting the government to dip into an emergency stabilization fund to reverse the decline. Vice President Lien Chan has tried to capitalize on that nervousness, running new TV ads warning that a vote for Chen Shui-bian could mean war with China. But Chen still has strong support, attracting huge crowds with his message of Taiwan nationalism and clean government. "He's certainly tough," says this woman, "but sometimes that's what you need. He's got a lot of guts." And with the escalating rhetoric from the mainland, many here find that a quality they want in a leader. (on camera): The people of Taiwan are used to threats from China. Public reaction to Beijing's latest saber-rattling appears to be more anger than fear, a sentiment that could well make the man China most dislikes, Chen Shui-bian, the next president of Taiwan. Mike Chinoy, CNN, Taipei.
China Warns of Possible War if Taiwan Elects Pro-Independence Leader