In a strong statement ahead of a key recall vote, Taiwan’s government on Wednesday accused China of “clearly” attempting to interfere in the island’s democratic processes, asserting that it is solely up to the Taiwanese people to decide who should remain in office.
On Saturday, Taiwan voters will decide on the fate of 24 lawmakers from Taiwan’s largest opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), in a recall campaign started by civic groups who accuse the lawmakers of cozying up to Beijing, which views the island as its own territory.
‘Malicious’ Attack On Democracy
The KMT denies being pro-Beijing, but says it needs to keep lines of communication with China open, and has denounced the recalls as a “malicious” attack on democracy that does not respect the results of last year’s parliamentary election.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office and Chinese state media have repeatedly commented on the recall vote and used some of the same talking points as the Kuomintang, Reuters reported this week.
Chinese Hand ‘Evident And Clear’
In a post on Facebook citing the Reuters report and research by Taiwan’s IORG, which analyses Chinese state media reports, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said it “rejects the Chinese Communist Party’s intervention”.
“The Chinese Communist Party’s attempt to interfere with Taiwan’s democratic operation is evident and clear,” it said.
“Recall in Taiwan is a civil right guaranteed by the constitution, and it is up to the people of Taiwan to decide who should or should not be removed from office.”
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to a request for comment. It has also not responded to questions submitted last week by Reuters about the recall and whether China was seeking to interfere in the outcome.
The recall campaign has been happening against a backdrop of China ramping up its own military and diplomatic pressure campaign against Taiwan to assert territorial claims that Taiwan resolutely rejects.
(With inputs from Reuters)
