Aggression towards Taiwan, if left unchecked, will be felt far beyond Taiwan and China, says envoy

TAIPEI: Taiwan's Representative to Canada, Harry Tseng, stated in an iPolitics opinion piece published Tuesday that the international community should support Taiwan as it continues to confront political and military intimidation from Beijing, according to Taiwan News.

He said that in the run-up to the presidential election, China increased its misinformation effort to persuade Taiwanese to vote for pro-Beijing candidates.

"This unjustified aggression towards Taiwan, if left unchecked, will be felt far beyond Taiwan and China," Tseng said.

After Vice President Lai Ching-te emerged victorious, Beijing dismissed the results, arguing they did not reflect mainstream public opinion and would not halt "the inevitable trend of China's unification," he added, according to Taiwan News.

Tseng added that two days after the election, Nauru cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

He stated that in February, Beijing notified adjustments to aircraft routes in the Taiwan Strait that were undertaken without consultation with Taiwan, as required by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

"Our people voted against China because they knew they would face retaliation. Nothing is more loud and clear," the official stated.

Tseng cited hearings by the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions as evidence of Canada's experience with Chinese "interference, disinformation, and intimidation campaigns" during the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, Taiwan News reported.

"Like Taiwan, Canada knows that China's interference in its democratic process must be called out before it is too late," he said, adding that the hearings show how much Canadians cherish their democracy.

"China's punitive actions against Taiwan for election outcomes unfavourable to its interests should raise alarms for Canada," Tseng warned.

Initially, Taiwan was ruled under KMT-imposed martial law. It held its first direct presidential election only in 1996. Since then, only candidates from the two major parties - the KMT and the DPP - have captured the presidency.

Notably, China's ruling Communist Party views Taiwan as part of its territory, despite having never controlled it.

While successive Chinese Communist leaders have vowed to eventually achieve "reunification," Xi has repeatedly said the Taiwan issue "should not be passed down generation after generation," linking the mission to his mid-century goal of "national rejuvenation."