Ahead of Taiwan’s presidential and legislative elections on January 13, China began increasing pressure on the island with doubling down on the rhetoric that reunification with China is inevitable and conducting military maneuvers in areas around Taiwan, Voice of America reported on Wednesday.
Some analysts say China’s efforts to ratchet up pressure on Taiwan reflect Beijing’s longstanding tactics.
“With every election and every period between elections, Beijing uses a combination of carrots and sticks to both woo and coerce the people in Taiwan,” J Michael Cole, senior adviser on Countering Foreign Authoritarian Influence with the International Republican Institute in Taiwan, told VOA in a written response.
In his view, Beijing will adjust the intensity of its strategies to fit the conditions in Taiwan.
“With (opposition candidates) vocal in their rhetoric that a vote for [the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s presidential candidate Lai Ching-te] is tantamount to a vote for war, it is no surprise that Beijing would weigh in with highly visible reminders of what it can do kinetically,” Cole added.
During his New Year’s address, Chinese leader Xi Jinping reiterated that Taiwan and China will surely be reunited.
“All Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should be bound by a common sense of purpose and share in the glory of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” he said.
VOA reported that in addition to the warning from Xi, the Taiwan Affairs Office, which oversees cross-strait relations in Beijing, also called on Taiwanese people to promote “peaceful unification,” saying it’s the common desire of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Apart from repeating and emphasising the rhetoric of reunification, China continues to conduct gray zone operations around Taiwan, deploying military aircraft, naval vessels, tugboats, and balloons near the island. Gray zone operations refer to the use of military and non-military offensive tactics to intimidate or coerce.
“There is a potential flight safety problem and this shows that Beijing’s approach is irresponsible,” he said.
Taiwan’s coast guard also drove away four Chinese tugboats that were sailing about four nautical miles off the island’s southern coast on Tuesday. While China’s intimidation campaigns have traditionally resulted in election outcomes viewed as unfavourable by Beijing, some experts say Chinese authorities are still trying to test whether its influence campaigns can lead more Taiwanese voters preferring peace across the Taiwan Strait to come out and vote for candidates favouring closer ties with China.
Facing the wide range of Chinese attempts to influence Taiwan’s election, Taiwanese officials continue to highlight and expose Beijing’s efforts, hoping to maintain public awareness.
