US urges China not to interfere in Taiwan elections

WASHINGTON - The United States opposes any outside interference or influence in Taiwan’s upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections, a senior Biden administration official said on Jan 10, in a clear signal to China.

The Jan 13 elections in Taiwan come at a delicate time in US-Chinese relations, with US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping having just re-established military-to-military ties when they met in California in November 2023.

The official, briefing reporters on condition of anonymity, said Washington does not take sides in the elections and does not have a favourite or preferred candidate.

“We oppose any outside interference or influence in Taiwan’s elections,” the official said. “Regardless of whom is elected, our policy towards Taiwan will remain the same and our strong unofficial relationship will also continue.”

The US is Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties with the island.

The elections are taking place against a backdrop of a ramped-up war of words between Taiwan and China, which views the island as its own territory despite the strong objections of the Taiwanese government. Washington wants to maintain the self-ruled island’s status quo.

The launch of a Chinese satellite that flew over Taiwan,

prompting an erroneous air raid alert, sparked a political storm on the island on Jan 10 about China’s motives only days out from presidential elections.

“I will note that the election is part of a normal, routine, democratic process. Beijing will be the provocateur should it choose to respond with additional military pressure or coercion,” the Biden administration official said.

The official warned that disruption to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait “would seriously damage the global economy and the spillover would affect all economies around the world”.

The US plans to send an unofficial delegation to Taiwan in the aftermath of the elections to hold direct communications. The official said some former high-ranking American officials were likely to be included.

The official added that sending the delegation was “well within precedent and is of course consistent with our ‘one China’ policy”.

“The United States has full confidence in Taiwan’s democratic processes, and there is strong bipartisan support for free and fair elections. Taiwan is a model for democracy, not only in the region, but also globally,” the official said.

A top White House official, Mr Jon Finer, met a senior Chinese official on Jan 10 and the two discussed tensions over Taiwan and the South China Sea, the White House said.

Mr Finer, who is deputy national security adviser, met Mr Liu Jianchao, head of the International Liaison Department of China’s Communist Party, as part of efforts to maintain open lines of communications as directed by Mr Biden and Mr Xi in their California summit.

The meeting took place in Washington and the two officials had “candid and constructive discussions”. They discussed a host of global hotspots, including the Middle East and Russia’s war against Ukraine.

They reaffirmed support for continued high-level diplomacy and interactions between the US and China, the White House added.

In separate talks, senior US and Chinese officials held a virtual meeting on Jan 10 and discussed cooperating on law enforcement issues including the illicit flow of synthetic drugs such as fentanyl, the US Department of Homeland Security said.

US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Chinese Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong participated in the meeting, along with other senior officials, the department said in a statement. REUTERS