Beijing (CNN) -- Jobs and money, national identity and political stability. These are some of the contentious issues driving the presidential election in Taiwan this weekend. Seeking another four-year term is the incumbent president Ma Ying Jeou of the ruling Kuomintang Party, pitted against Tsai Ing-wen, leader of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Who wins the election will influence Taiwan's relations with mainland China and impact business, geopolitics and security in the region, including China-U.S. ties. For many Taiwanese electorates, political observers say, the main issues are jobs, economics and Taiwanese identity. For the policy-makers in Beijing, however, the overriding question is whether the next Taiwan president will stick to the status quo.
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Incumbent president Ma Ying Jeou of the ruling Kuomintang Party seeking another four-year term
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Tsai Ing-wen, leader of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), would be the first female president
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China keeps hundreds of missiles aimed at Taiwan, an ominous threat to the island to stay in the fold
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Beijing wary of Tsai Ing-wen, suspecting her of pushing a pro-independence agenda
In 1954, the U.S. and @placeholder signed a mutual defense treaty.