Taiwan is focused on building a more resilient democracy and would not permit any interference by China in its upcoming presidential election, Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) on Friday said.
China has been trying for years to interfere in Taiwan’s major elections, ever since the first direct presidential vote in 1996, Hsiao said in an interview with Balance of Power on Bloomberg TV, adding that some of Beijing’s tactics have become very sophisticated.
“We are trying to strengthen our democracy, to build a more resilient democracy so that we are less vulnerable to external interference and interventions,” she said. “And ultimately, the people of Taiwan will decide how our elections go. We will not let the PRC [People’s Republic of China] coerce us into making those decisions.”
Photo: Chiang Ying-ying, AP
Hsiao said that because of Taiwan’s relationship with the US, the former has been gaining the capability to ensure peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region by finding ways to curb China’s aggression and deal with its military build-up in the region and its coercive use of military power.
Taiwan’s response to those aggressive moves are within the parameters of its partnership with the US, said Hsiao, a former legislator who has been serving as representative to the US since 2020.
Last year, China used the visit of then-US House speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taipei as an excuse to launch coercive military action against Taiwan, which was very much resented by Taiwanese, Hsiao said.
Taiwan has to constantly struggle to fight back against that type of bullying by China, which is aimed at isolating Taiwan, Hsiao said.
“But again, I do want to reiterate that ultimately our goal is to maintain stability in the region, and we are committed to the ‘status quo,’” she added.
Taiwan has a very different political system from China and would continue to preserve its democracy, its way of life and its right to choose its own leaders, she said.
Taiwan held its first free and direct presidential election in 1996, when Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and Lien Chan (連戰) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) were elected as president and premier, respectively. Prior to that, the president and vice president were chosen in a vote by the deputies of the National Assembly.
Hsiao said in the Bloomberg interview that Taiwan would remain in close contact with its partners in the US, and “we also hope that the PRC will be open to dialogue with us as well.”
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
RSS