Taiwan's barely elected President Lai Ching-te (also known by his English name William Lai) vowed Saturday to protect the island “from threats and intimidation from China.” Beijing, which claims sovereignty over the territory, wasted no time renewing its threats. Any move toward Taiwan's independence will be “severely punished,” Chinese diplomat chief Wang Yi warned on Sunday, January 14.
“If anyone on the island of Taiwan has the intention of seeking independence, he (…) will try to divide Chinese territory and will certainly be severely punished by history and the law,” he said during a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart , Sameh Choukri, in Cairo. Taiwan, for its part, called on China on Sunday to “respect the results of the election, face reality and abandon the oppression of Taiwan,” according to a Foreign Ministry statement.
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Beijing, which has never renounced the use of force to recapture Taiwan, responded to Mr. Lai's victory by claiming it would not change “the inevitable trend toward China's reunification.” “It’s a dead end,” he added.
Increased diplomatic and military pressure
For the head of Chinese diplomacy: “Regardless of the outcome of the election, they cannot change the fundamental fact that there is only one China and that Taiwan is part of it.” “Taiwan has never been a country. That has not been the case in the past and certainly will not be the case in the future,” he said.
Efforts in this direction “seriously threaten the well-being of Taiwanese compatriots, seriously harm the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation and seriously undermine the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait region,” Wang Yi further warned. At the start of the election, China increased its diplomatic and military pressure on Taiwan. The military said it would “take all necessary measures to resolutely suppress attempts at 'Taiwan independence' in any form.”
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Big victory for Lai Ching-te
But voters on the autonomous island ignored warnings and pressure attempts from Beijing, handing the Progressive Democratic Party candidate a big victory on Saturday. Lai Ching-te, 64 years old and an ardent supporter of the territory's autonomy, is described by the Chinese Communist Party as a dangerous separatist for his support for the island's independence.
He came first in the presidential election with 40.1% of the vote. In his victory speech, the president-elect said that “the people of Taiwan have resisted efforts by external forces to influence this election.” “We are determined to protect Taiwan from China’s ongoing threats and intimidation,” he told supporters, but vowed to “continue exchanges and cooperation with China on economic issues.” Mr. Lai will take office on May 20.
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