As Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou comes to a close of his second term, it is clear that the country's next president will be tasked with shaping Taiwan's fate as a nation and its relations to China.

The upcoming election is thought to be Taiwan's most 'divisive ballot' with three aspiring presidential candidates.

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President Ma's has endorsed the chairman of the Kuomintang Party (KMT) Eric Chu to take over from him. The 54-year-old mayor of Xinbei city joined the presidential race late as he replaced the former Hung Hsiu-chiu, who had low popularity.

Chu is described as a 'rising star in Kuomintang' as he has never lost an election. His political aim is to continue building strong ties with China in order to boost Taiwan's economy.

However, Chu may not be the lucky winner in the upcoming election this weekend as his popularity is floundering against that of rival Democratic Progressive Party candidate Tsai Ing-Wen.

Should Chu be defeated in the upcoming elections, this will blemish his political career. Meanwhile,Tsai Ing-Wen, the leading candidate in polls, will be Taiwan's first female president if she wins the elections.

Tsai, a UK and US educated scientist, has already sparked outrage in China after she openly verbalized her refusal to accept Beijing's proposition that the island nation is part of 'One China.'

Tsai has served as a Taiwan's vice premier in the past and also held the position of Minister of the Mainland Affairs Council. Tsai lost in the 2012 presidential election to Ma, but won 45% of the votes.

Tsai's political platform focuses more on boosting Taiwan's economy through enhancing business relationships with India, ASEAN countries and East Asia.

This move can eliminate the KMT-established trading relations with China. Chinese state media has stated that Tsai will 'pose new challenges to the cross-straits relationship'.

But Tsai has already regulated her strong political views, giving the public assurance that she will maintain peaceful and public relations with China if she wins the polls.

James Soong, the third presidential candidate, is a former KMT member. Soong expressed desire to run for office because he feels Taiwan should have a third choice.

Taiwan, with a population of 23 million people, has already experienced internal struggles due to political wrangling and the island's strained relationship with China.

Beijing still identifies the island nation as a 'renegade province' and this caused Taiwan to be less recognized by the world governments.

Under President Ma's regime, KMT initiated business ties and promoted tourism with China, and people from both countries flocked in both directions through direct flights.

The DPP, in contrast, outwardly states that its goal is to create a formally independent Taiwan. "What people want, we'll do," said Tsai during a recent televised presidential debate.

Tagstaiwanese elections, ties, Beijing Government, Eric Chu