Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Beijing tries to intimidate Taiwanese; The election is scheduled for this Saturday (January 13th)
The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized this Thursday (11 January 2024) the “recurrent interference” of China in the country's presidential elections. The election is scheduled for Saturday (13 January).
Joseph Wu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, said that Beijing is trying “blatantly intimidate the Taiwanese population and the international community”. In a post on X, he wrote that the Chinese should “stop messing with other countries’ elections and hold your own”.
Minister Wu briefed international journalists on the upcoming elections, stressing #China's past & present interference. Since #Beijing seems so interested in democracy, he advised the authoritarian regime to conduct its own elections & leave #Taiwan🇹🇼 & other free countries be. pic.twitter.com/137zYBhPFO
— 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) 🇹🇼 (@MOFA_Taiwan) January 9, 2024
The speech follows a statement from the Chinese government this Thursday (11 January) which stated that the eventual victory of Lai Ching-te, current vice-president, for the Presidency would represent a “serious danger”.
Lai's party defends the island's autonomy and independence from the country led by Xi Jinping. Opposition parties are in favor of strengthening ties with Beijing.
Taiwan is one of its most sensitive issues for China. Since the end of the 1940s, when the island began to be governed independently after a civil war, the relationship between Taipei and Beijing has gone through several moments of tension.
China considers the island to be part of its territory, in the form of a breakaway province. In the Chinese interpretation, if the island seeks independence, it must be prevented by force.
Tension between China and Taiwan became more accentuated in 2022, with the strengthening of the island's ties with the United States – especially after the then-president of the US House, Nancy Pelosi, visited Taiwan in early August. During its stay in Taipei, Beijing carried out a series of joint military operations around the island.
Also this Thursday (January 11), representatives of North American President Joe Biden stated that the USA will send “an informal delegation” to Taiwan after the presidential elections on Saturday (13 January).
A senior official from the Democrat's administration stated that the trip is the “most effective way” to engage the new Taiwanese government and convey US policy in the region.
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