Chinese Official Threatens Taiwan Ahead of Key Elections

The Chinese government could speed up its takeover of Taiwan if the island’s leading presidential candidate wins next January’s election, according to a senior official in Shanghai.

Yang Lihua, who holds the No. 2 position in Shanghai’s Taiwan Affairs Office, overseeing the city’s exchanges with Taiwanese counterparts, said the potential election of Taiwan’s current vice president, Lai Ching-te, may “accelerate unification,” Beijing’s phrase for political control over the island and its 23 million people.

“We will stick to our path,” Yang said, emphasizing China’s little room for compromise on Taiwan, which it has claimed for decades as part of its territory, despite having never governed it.

However, a victory for the Kuomintang party, Taiwan’s main opposition, seen as relatively friendlier to Beijing, could delay unification, Yang said. It would give China a few more years to “become even stronger,” he said.

The officials remarks were at once an indication of Beijing’s preferences and another example of what Taipei says is overt election interference by its representatives—by openly backing certain candidates over others.

Yang’s apparent veiled threat was made during a meeting with a visiting youth group from Hong Kong, a city whose plight has been closely watched in Taiwan. Hong Kong’s widespread anti-government protests in 2019—and Beijing’s subsequent crackdown on democratic freedoms—drove Taiwanese voters to the polls in the island’s last presidential and legislative elections in 2020.

The president ticket of Tsai Ing-wen and Lai, both of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, won a landslide victory amid heavy scrutiny on China’s designs on Taiwan.

Lai, who has chosen Taiwan’s former de facto ambassador to the United States, Hsiao Bi-khim, as his running mate, has vowed to strengthen the island’s self-defense in order to deter any military adventurism on Beijing’s part. Chinese officials, however, have warned that the Lai-Hsiao ticket could further erode trust between the two capitals.

Yang’s remarks came in the days after Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the central government in Beijing, described Lai and Hsiao as an “independence double act.”

Taiwan’s pursuit of independence “means war,” she said, repeating a familiar phrase from recent years. The Taiwanese government says it has no intention of declaring formal statehood in the name of Taiwan, a move that would also alienate its strongest international backer, the United States.

China’s attempts to shape the Taiwan’s voting behavior are multifaceted, Taiwanese officials say. Yang, in his description of Beijing’s approach, also highlighted the many cross-strait exchanges his office facilitates, as well as the robust economic relationship.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry didn’t return EuroJournal‘s written request for comment before publication.

The Chinese government could speed up its takeover of Taiwan if the island’s leading presidential candidate wins next January’s election, according to a senior official in Shanghai.

Yang Lihua, who holds the No. 2 position in Shanghai’s Taiwan Affairs Office, overseeing the city’s exchanges with Taiwanese counterparts, said the potential election of Taiwan’s current vice president, Lai Ching-te, may “accelerate unification,” Beijing’s phrase for political control over the island and its 23 million people.

“We will stick to our path,” Yang said, emphasizing China’s little room for compromise on Taiwan, which it has claimed for decades as part of its territory, despite having never governed it.

However, a victory for the Kuomintang party, Taiwan’s main opposition, seen as relatively friendlier to Beijing, could delay unification, Yang said. It would give China a few more years to “become even stronger,” he said.

The officials remarks were at once an indication of Beijing’s preferences and another example of what Taipei says is overt election interference by its representatives—by openly backing certain candidates over others.

Yang’s apparent veiled threat was made during a meeting with a visiting youth group from Hong Kong, a city whose plight has been closely watched in Taiwan. Hong Kong’s widespread anti-government protests in 2019—and Beijing’s subsequent crackdown on democratic freedoms—drove Taiwanese voters to the polls in the island’s last presidential and legislative elections in 2020.

The president ticket of Tsai Ing-wen and Lai, both of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, won a landslide victory amid heavy scrutiny on China’s designs on Taiwan.

Lai, who has chosen Taiwan’s former de facto ambassador to the United States, Hsiao Bi-khim, as his running mate, has vowed to strengthen the island’s self-defense in order to deter any military adventurism on Beijing’s part. Chinese officials, however, have warned that the Lai-Hsiao ticket could further erode trust between the two capitals.

Yang’s remarks came in the days after Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the central government in Beijing, described Lai and Hsiao as an “independence double act.”

Taiwan’s pursuit of independence “means war,” she said, repeating a familiar phrase from recent years. The Taiwanese government says it has no intention of declaring formal statehood in the name of Taiwan, a move that would also alienate its strongest international backer, the United States.

China’s attempts to shape the Taiwan’s voting behavior are multifaceted, Taiwanese officials say. Yang, in his description of Beijing’s approach, also highlighted the many cross-strait exchanges his office facilitates, as well as the robust economic relationship.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry didn’t return EuroJournal‘s written request for comment before publication.

The Chinese government could speed up its takeover of Taiwan if the island’s leading presidential candidate wins next January’s election, according to a senior official in Shanghai.

Yang Lihua, who holds the No. 2 position in Shanghai’s Taiwan Affairs Office, overseeing the city’s exchanges with Taiwanese counterparts, said the potential election of Taiwan’s current vice president, Lai Ching-te, may “accelerate unification,” Beijing’s phrase for political control over the island and its 23 million people.

“We will stick to our path,” Yang said, emphasizing China’s little room for compromise on Taiwan, which it has claimed for decades as part of its territory, despite having never governed it.

However, a victory for the Kuomintang party, Taiwan’s main opposition, seen as relatively friendlier to Beijing, could delay unification, Yang said. It would give China a few more years to “become even stronger,” he said.

The officials remarks were at once an indication of Beijing’s preferences and another example of what Taipei says is overt election interference by its representatives—by openly backing certain candidates over others.

Yang’s apparent veiled threat was made during a meeting with a visiting youth group from Hong Kong, a city whose plight has been closely watched in Taiwan. Hong Kong’s widespread anti-government protests in 2019—and Beijing’s subsequent crackdown on democratic freedoms—drove Taiwanese voters to the polls in the island’s last presidential and legislative elections in 2020.

The president ticket of Tsai Ing-wen and Lai, both of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, won a landslide victory amid heavy scrutiny on China’s designs on Taiwan.

Lai, who has chosen Taiwan’s former de facto ambassador to the United States, Hsiao Bi-khim, as his running mate, has vowed to strengthen the island’s self-defense in order to deter any military adventurism on Beijing’s part. Chinese officials, however, have warned that the Lai-Hsiao ticket could further erode trust between the two capitals.

Yang’s remarks came in the days after Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the central government in Beijing, described Lai and Hsiao as an “independence double act.”

Taiwan’s pursuit of independence “means war,” she said, repeating a familiar phrase from recent years. The Taiwanese government says it has no intention of declaring formal statehood in the name of Taiwan, a move that would also alienate its strongest international backer, the United States.

China’s attempts to shape the Taiwan’s voting behavior are multifaceted, Taiwanese officials say. Yang, in his description of Beijing’s approach, also highlighted the many cross-strait exchanges his office facilitates, as well as the robust economic relationship.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry didn’t return EuroJournal‘s written request for comment before publication.

The Chinese government could speed up its takeover of Taiwan if the island’s leading presidential candidate wins next January’s election, according to a senior official in Shanghai.

Yang Lihua, who holds the No. 2 position in Shanghai’s Taiwan Affairs Office, overseeing the city’s exchanges with Taiwanese counterparts, said the potential election of Taiwan’s current vice president, Lai Ching-te, may “accelerate unification,” Beijing’s phrase for political control over the island and its 23 million people.

“We will stick to our path,” Yang said, emphasizing China’s little room for compromise on Taiwan, which it has claimed for decades as part of its territory, despite having never governed it.

However, a victory for the Kuomintang party, Taiwan’s main opposition, seen as relatively friendlier to Beijing, could delay unification, Yang said. It would give China a few more years to “become even stronger,” he said.

The officials remarks were at once an indication of Beijing’s preferences and another example of what Taipei says is overt election interference by its representatives—by openly backing certain candidates over others.

Yang’s apparent veiled threat was made during a meeting with a visiting youth group from Hong Kong, a city whose plight has been closely watched in Taiwan. Hong Kong’s widespread anti-government protests in 2019—and Beijing’s subsequent crackdown on democratic freedoms—drove Taiwanese voters to the polls in the island’s last presidential and legislative elections in 2020.

The president ticket of Tsai Ing-wen and Lai, both of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, won a landslide victory amid heavy scrutiny on China’s designs on Taiwan.

Lai, who has chosen Taiwan’s former de facto ambassador to the United States, Hsiao Bi-khim, as his running mate, has vowed to strengthen the island’s self-defense in order to deter any military adventurism on Beijing’s part. Chinese officials, however, have warned that the Lai-Hsiao ticket could further erode trust between the two capitals.

Yang’s remarks came in the days after Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the central government in Beijing, described Lai and Hsiao as an “independence double act.”

Taiwan’s pursuit of independence “means war,” she said, repeating a familiar phrase from recent years. The Taiwanese government says it has no intention of declaring formal statehood in the name of Taiwan, a move that would also alienate its strongest international backer, the United States.

China’s attempts to shape the Taiwan’s voting behavior are multifaceted, Taiwanese officials say. Yang, in his description of Beijing’s approach, also highlighted the many cross-strait exchanges his office facilitates, as well as the robust economic relationship.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry didn’t return EuroJournal‘s written request for comment before publication.