By James Pomfret and Sarah Wu NEW TAIPEI, Taiwan (Reuters) – Hundreds of thousands of people attended final pre-election rallies in Taiwan on Friday ahead of critical presidential and parliamentary polls, as China’s defence ministry warned it would “smash any Taiwan independence plots”. Taiwan, a neighbouring island China claims as its own, has been a democratic success story since holding its first direct presidential election in 1996, the culmination of decades of struggle against authoritarian rule and martial law. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which champions Taiwan’s sepa…