Taiwan faces a fateful choice.
Threats of war and influence campaigns from China are pouring in.
– If we don’t vote correctly, there might not be another time, says Taiwanese Katy Liu.
On Thursday, China accused Taiwan’s leading presidential candidate of being a danger to relations with Beijing. The Taiwanese opposition also watered down the criticism, saying that if the ruling party’s candidate Lai wins the presidential election, the risk of war will be raised.
The latest move from Beijing is just one in a series of influence attempts by China to sway the Taiwanese electorate.
On Saturday, Taiwan will elect a new president and new parliament – in the shadow of an increasingly threatening China.
– It is a very important choice. If we don’t vote right, there might not be another time. I want freedom. I don’t want to be limited in my life in terms of what I can or can’t do. If we get a Chinese government, I might be monitored or even “disappear”, says Katy Liu, an office worker in Taiwan, to TV4 Nyheternas’ dispatcher on the spot.
Chinese disinformation
Taiwan, with its 23 million inhabitants, has been exposed to misinformation throughout the election campaign from Communist China.
The attacks have mainly been directed at the ruling party DPP and its candidate Lai Qing-te, who was recently described as a dangerous independence seeker in a new play.
At the government office, the message is clear: the regime in China is doing everything for the opposition to win.
– The worrying thing about this election campaign is that we see many similarities between the narratives of the opposition parties and Beijing, says Vincent Chao, spokesperson for the ruling party.
Opposition leader Hu Jui, presidential candidate for the Kuomintang Party, likes to pick on Beijing’s rhetoric.
– If Lai wins the election, there is a risk that his policy for an independent Taiwan could trigger a war. No other candidate carries as many risks as Lai, says Hou Yu-ih at a press conference.