TAIWAN Foreign Minister Joseph Wu accused China today of trying to “shape” the island’s upcoming elections, after Chinese military exercises were launched around it.

“The PRC has made it clear it wants to shape Taiwan’s coming national elections,” said Wu on his ministry’s official X account.

“Well, it’s up to our citizens to decide, not the bully next door.”

China announced earlier today it had “launched joint air and sea patrols and military exercises of the navy and air force around the island of Taiwan”, said state media outlet Xinhua.

By afternoon, Taiwan’s military said it had detected 42 Chinese warplanes making incursions around the island’s air defence zone, while eight Chinese vessels were also participating in the drills.

Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry today also condemned China’s military exercises, and said Beijing has used “various intimidating speeches and fake news… to openly intervene and interfere in the democratic election process in our country”.

“The Foreign Ministry condemns in the strongest terms China’s authoritarian government’s brutal efforts to interfere in the elections,” it said.

In the past year, Beijing has stepped up political and military pressures against Taiwan, sending in near-daily warplanes incursions and vessels around the island.

Today’s military exercises are seen as a response to the visit of Taiwan’s Vice-President William Lai making stopovers in the United States – first to New York en route to Paraguay, and then to San Francisco on his way back to Taipei.

Lai is also a presidential candidate for Taiwan’s elections in January, and is currently the frontrunner.

China especially dislikes Lai, as he has been previously outspoken about Taiwan’s status. Like the current President Tsai Ing-wen, Lai does not accept China’s view that Taiwan belongs to it.

He has described himself as a “pragmatic Taiwan independence worker” – inciting comments from Beijing about him being a “troublemaker”. – AFP, August 19, 2023.