Beijing must “face reality” and respect the results of Taiwan's election, in which Democratic Progressive Party candidate William Lai won with 40.2% of the vote. This is the warning from Taipei's Foreign Ministry after a Beijing official defined Taiwan-related issues as China's “internal matter.”
In a press release, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that Taiwan's 12 diplomatic allies and the governments or parliaments of more than 50 countries congratulated each other after the Jan. 13 presidential and legislative elections. Still, he added, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman issued a statement “ridiculously” calling the election and all Taiwan-related matters China's “internal affair.”
Taiwan's Foreign Ministry then called on Beijing to “respect” the election results, adding that China's position contradicted the international consensus and the status quo in the region. “China,” the statement said, “must face reality and abandon its attempts to pressure Taiwan” if the parties want to resume positive interactions and get cross-strait relations back on track.
Unofficial US delegation in Taipei
Meanwhile, an unofficial US delegation is expected to arrive in Taiwan today. This was confirmed by the “de facto” US embassy in Taipei. Tomorrow, the delegation sent by President Joe Biden's administration will hold talks with “a number of senior political figures,” the American Institute in Taiwan said in a statement.
The White House has tapped former Democratic deputy secretary of state James Steinberg and former Republican national security adviser Stephen Hadley to lead the bipartisan delegation, according to five people familiar with the plans cited by the Financial Times.
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