by Eduardo Baptista
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s Foreign Ministry and Chinese embassies around the world over the weekend warned countries willing to support Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and condemned foreign governments that congratulated its new elected president, Lai Ching-te.
The DPP, which won a third term despite Chinese pressure, defends Taiwan’s distinct identity and rejects China’s territorial claims. Beijing has reiterated that its determination to achieve reunification remains intact.
After the vote, several ministers and politicians from countries with mostly unofficial ties to the island sent congratulatory messages to Lai Ching-te and the DPP.
Beijing’s response was not long in coming, highlighting China’s extreme sensitivity to what it considers to be a legitimization by other countries of a candidate and a political party seen by the China as “secessionist forces”.
China’s Foreign Ministry said Sunday that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement, in which he congratulated the president-elect and said Washington looked forward to extending its unofficial relationship with Taiwan, “sends a seriously incorrect signal.” ” to “separatist forces working for the independence of Taiwan”.
“China has always opposed any form of official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan, and resolutely opposes any interference by the United States in Taiwan’s affairs,” read a statement released on the ministry’s website.
The Chinese embassy also condemned on Saturday the “incorrect actions”, in its words, of British Foreign Minister David Cameron, who considered that the elections were a tribute “to Taiwan’s vibrant democracy.”
In Japan, the Chinese embassy went so far as to send an official diplomatic protest after the congratulatory message sent by the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yoko Kamikawa, to the Taiwanese president for his victory. The head of Japanese diplomacy also described Taiwan as “an extremely crucial partner and an important friend.”
FRANCE CALLS FOR STATUS QUO AND DIALOGUE
France, through the Quai d’Orsay, in turn congratulated the Taiwanese elected officials on Sunday morning.
“Taiwan is an important partner of Europe and France, particularly in the economic, cultural, scientific and technological fields,” the Quai d’Orsay said in a statement. “We reaffirm the crucial nature of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, call for respect for the status quo by all parties, and hope for a resumption of cross-Strait dialogue.”
Beijing, which has never given up the idea of using force to bring Taiwan into its fold, fears that the new Taiwanese president will declare the establishment of an independent republic of Taiwan, which Lai Ching-te excluded from doing.
The outcome of the vote in Taiwan should initially allay fears in global financial markets over relations between the island and its Chinese neighbor, but could lead to a slight decline in local markets.
Investors fear that the result of the election – in particular the fact that the DPP also lost its parliamentary majority in the process – will lead to a certain political and economic paralysis.
Analysts expect a drop this week in the Taiwan Stock Exchange index, which has gained 25% in just over a year.
(Eduardo Baptista, with Tom Westbrook and Ankur Banerjee in Singapore, Gilles Guillaume for the French version)
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