2024-01-11 18:00:00
[대만 총통선거 D-1]
US: “We will send a delegation following the presidential election”; China: “Taiwan is a part of China… “Oppose traffic with the U.S.”
Ahead of Taiwan’s presidential election (the 13th), which unfolded as a proxy war between the United States and China, a war of nerves between the United States and China is intensifying. The two countries snarled warnings at each other and urged the other to “stop interfering in the election.”
According to the British Financial Times (FT), a senior official in the Joe Biden administration said in a briefing on the 10th (local time), “Taiwan’s elections are normal and part of the routine democratic process,” and “China is putting additional military pressure (on Taiwan).” “If you do so or respond with force, you will only become a provocateur,” he warned, adding, “Any form of (election) intervention is unacceptable.”
This official also announced plans to send an unofficial U.S. delegation to Taiwan following the presidential election. He added, “There is a precedent for the United States to maintain unofficial diplomatic relations with Taiwan and send high-ranking officials, including former government officials and former lawmakers, as unofficial delegations.” This means that sending an unofficial delegation to Taiwan is not unusual.
China strongly opposed it. Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a briefing on the same day, “There is only one China in the world,” and “Taiwan is part of China, and China firmly opposes any form of official communication between the United States and Taiwan.” He said. Spokesperson Mao asserted, “The United States must stop sending the wrong signal to Taiwan’s independence division faction,” and added, “The United States should not interfere in Taiwan’s elections.”
China also took steps to exert military pressure. According to Taiwan’s Tsuyu Times on the 11th, the Taiwanese military detected 15 military aircraft and 4 warships belonging to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army operating around Taiwan from 6 a.m. on the 10th to 6 a.m. on the 11th. Among them, two Chinese military aircraft were reported to have entered Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
They also came up with a plan to appease the sentiments of the Taiwanese public. According to the Chinese state-run Global Times on the 10th, Chinese authorities announced comprehensive guidelines for integrated development of cross-Straits (China and Taiwan). The proposal is to use Fujian Province, the closest province to Taiwan, as an economic cooperation outpost to implement 14 measures in five major areas, including support for openness, cooperation, high-quality trade, and integrated industrial development.
Beijing = Correspondent Kim Ki-yong kky@donga.com
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