[ad_1]
The victory of former Taiwan’s Vice President Lai Ching-te has given a clear signal of the public’s mood and its stance on reunification with China. However, the victory of the pro-democracy candidate in Taiwan didn’t sink well with China which has warned the island nation of facing severe consequences for attempting to split apart China’s territory.
Soon after the announcement of the election results, a war of words erupted between China and Taiwan officials. On one hand, Beijing warned the US for congratulating the winner Lai Ching-te, on the other hand, Taipei accused the dragon of making “fallacious comments”.
“If anyone on the island of Taiwan thinks of going for independence, they will be trying to split apart China’s territory, and will certainly be harshly punished by both history and the law,” said Chinese diplomat Wang Yi said in a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry in Cairo.
“This is a dead end,” he added.
“No matter what the results of the election are, they cannot change the basic fact that there is only one China and Taiwan is a part of it,” Wang said Sunday.
He also made it clear that Taiwan “has never been a country. It wasn’t in the past, and it certainly won’t be in the future.”
China’s strong message to the US on Taiwan
After the victory of Lai Ching-Te, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated him and said that Washington looks forward to working with all of Taiwan’s leaders.
However, America’s message to Taiwan didn’t please China which called the US statement a “gravely wrong signal to the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces” and said that it goes against a U.S. commitment to maintaining only unofficial ties with Taiwan.
Despite the victory of the Democratic Progressive Party’s Lai Ching Te, it doesn’t reflect the mainstream public opinion, read a statement from the Taiwan Affairs Office in China.
In response to China’s comments, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry, called on China “ to respect the election results, face reality and give up its oppression against Taiwan.”
The recent elections signal the worsening of relations between Taiwan and China. The Chinese military regularly sends fighter jets and warships into the skies and waters near Taiwan. There are high chance that any conflict between the two could draw in the United States.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it’s all here, just a click away! Login Now!
Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
Published: 14 Jan 2024, 10:46 PM IST
[ad_2]
Source link