* With the US presidential election just a bit more than two weeks away, no one can say, with any level of certainty, who is likely to come out on top after the November 3 vote. With a society deeply divided, it's unlikely that either President Donald Trump or his Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, can win a landslide victory. However, without a convincing victory by either, the campaign may not produce a clear winner on Election Night, and the real drama will begin and drag on for months.
* The economy and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be the key issues since the two are intimately connected. However, according to various polls recently, while Biden is viewed as better equipped to deal with the virus, Trump appears to have the upper hand on reviving the US economy. These numbers are another indication as to how the US--in and out of the political circles--is divided today.
* While this is purely a domestic matter for the American people, the result of the November 3 election will have far-reaching implications on geopolitical and economic landscape around the world, including the cross-Strait relations between China and Taiwan. Few would expect a complete turnaround on US policy toward China if there's a new occupant in the West Wing, but the priority of thorny bilateral issues and the tactics pursued by Washington may undergo noticeable changes. That would be a much-welcome change after years of heightened US-China tensions and the ever-escalating trade war.
