TAIPEI, Taiwan. Taiwan strongly condemned what it deemed as “fallacious comments” from China in the aftermath of the self-governing island’s presidential and parliamentary election held the previous day. The verbal exchange adds an ominous tone to the future of Taiwan-China relations under the newly elected President, Lai Ching-te, and also impacts China’s association with the United States.
The U.S. government announced on Sunday that it has dispatched two former officials, Stephen Hadley, former National Security Advisor, and James Steinberg, former Deputy Secretary of State, for post-election meetings with political leaders in Taiwan. Their visit, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, is likely to raise tensions with China. The American Institute in Taiwan, acting as the de facto U.S. Embassy, issued a news release confirming the visit.
President-elect Lai Ching-te’s victory secures a third consecutive four-year term for the Democratic Progressive Party, continuing its hold on the presidency after eight years under President Tsai Ing-wen. China perceives the party as a formidable adversary and a significant obstacle to its objective of bringing the island’s 23 million people under its control.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry released a statement accusing China’s Foreign Ministry and its Taiwan Affairs Office of disseminating falsehoods in their statements issued on Saturday night following the election results. The statement specifically contested China’s persistent assertion that Taiwan is a domestic Chinese matter. China considers Taiwan a renegade province and insists it should not maintain a foreign ministry or official relations with foreign governments.
The escalating war of words between Taiwan and China raises concerns about the future diplomatic landscape in the region, with the United States playing a potentially contentious role. The visit of the former U.S. officials signals continued American engagement with Taiwan, despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Taiwan, further complicating an already delicate geopolitical situation.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
