China exerts military, economic pressure in anticipation of upcoming elections in Taiwan
Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (photo: Getty Images)
The government of Taiwan is documenting all possible attempts by China to interfere in the elections taking place next week and will publish its analysis shortly after the voting, according to Reuters.
The government is also confident that China exerts military and economic pressure, subsidizes trips to China for local Taiwanese officials, and aims to interfere in the run-up to the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for January 13.
"Taiwan is taking measures to counter China's interference and is documenting its experiences. Analysis will be published soon after the elections in consultation with international experts," said Taiwan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Joseph Wu.
The Taiwan Affairs Office in China has called the elections in Taiwan a purely internal matter of China and stated that the ruling Democratic Progressive Party is trying to label any interaction between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait as interference in the elections.
The head of the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that if China succeeds in influencing the election results, it will apply the same tactics to other democratic countries to advance an international order that they prefer.
What proceeded this
The recent resumption of Chinese military activity near Taiwan has raised tensions. Nine Chinese aircraft and several ships crossed the middle of the strait, which serves as a symbolic boundary.
Earlier, China's leader, Xi Jinping, stated the inevitable reunification of China and Taiwan. In response, Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen emphasized that Taiwan's relationship with China should be determined by the will of the people, and the world should be based on dignity. The situation reflects the longstanding complex relations between Taiwan and China.
