Joe Biden
“The United States has complete confidence in Taiwan’s democratic process and has cross-party support for its free and fair elections.” A senior Biden administration official told reporters at a background briefing on the evening of January 10: “Taiwan is not just a model of democracy in the region and a global model.” Senior officials emphasized that the United States has no preference for any candidate. No matter who is elected, it will not change the U.S. policy toward Taiwan, and the firm, unofficial bilateral relationship will continue. “Taiwan’s presidential and legislative elections will be voted on this Saturday, January 13.
Senior officials announced that the Biden administration will send a high-level delegation to visit Taiwan after the election. Senior officials did not want to disclose the members of the delegation, but according to financial The Times reported on January 10 that President Biden will appoint Democratic former Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and Republican former National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley to lead this bipartisan group. delegation.
Senior officials said that the purpose of this unofficial delegation is the same as that of past delegations, which is to clearly communicate the U.S. position to the president-elect and other candidates; and this kind of face-to-face direct communication is the key to the United States’ ability to effectively engage and promote peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
Senior officials explained that the U.S. government has sent unofficial delegations composed of former senior officials to Taiwan in the past 20 years, and President Biden has In April and February 2022, it sent delegations to visit Taiwan twice. Therefore, this has precedent and does not constitute an excuse for China to escalate the situation.
No matter who is elected, the United States will continue to support the security, economy, trade, and other aspects of the Taiwanese people. Our commitments will remain firm. The United States and Taiwan signed the first phase of the 21st Century Trade Initiative in 2023. Senior officials said that the process of the trade agreement will not be slowed down by the election results. China’s various means of intervening in
Taiwan’s elections
have In what ways does China interfere in Taiwan’s election? Senior officials said that they include shaping the public opinion environment, exerting economic pressure through tariffs, etc. On January 9, China’s Ministry of Commerce suddenly announced that it was considering expanding and terminating the “Cross-Strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement” (ECFA) tariff preferential scope, including agriculture, fishery, machinery, automobile parts, textiles, and other industries.
The Taiwan government stated that this is China’s attempt to interfere in Taiwan’s elections. Senior officials pointed out that Taiwan is “precisely targeting and identifying” election interference as “very advanced.” Instead of asking the White House, pay attention to the Taiwan government’s announcement about China’s interference in the election, and you will be able to obtain more comprehensive and in-depth information. Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu wrote a letter to “The Economist” on January 4, stating that Taiwan is recording confrontations with China, which has used various means to interfere in the election, and will share its experience and analysis reports with other democracies after the election.
Senior officials frankly said that there is no doubt that everyone knows how Beijing will view the results of this election. We know that China is trying to reverse the election process through various means, but the Biden administration has full confidence in Taiwan’s democratic process and is not worried about affecting the election results because the Taiwan government is very diligent and cautious in pointing out all kinds of false information.
Interference in democracy Program “Beijing is the provocateur”
Regarding China’s possible reaction to Taiwan’s election results, senior officials said that the United States and China have been able to manage their differences on cross-strait issues over the past 40 years. President Biden met with China in San Francisco last November. President Xi Jinping also reiterated that the United States adheres to its one-China policy based on the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three Joint Communiques, and the Six Assurances, opposes unilateral changes in the status quo, opposes Taiwan’s independence, and supports cross-strait dialogue through peaceful and non-coercive dialogue to resolve cross-strait differences.
Senior officials said that the health of U.S.-China relations does not depend on the degree of tension in cross-strait relations. The United States does not expect China to change its cross-strait policies, but the United States must use diplomatic and other channels to try to avoid unexpected conflicts and ensure that the United States clearly expresses its intentions. to manage this difficult relationship.
The United States has repeatedly stated, both privately and publicly, to Beijing that it is deeply concerned about any form of interference or coercion. In this election, “Beijing is the provocateur.” Senior officials warned that Taiwan’s election is a routine democratic process, and if Beijing responds with military pressure or coercion, the provocateur will be China.
Officials emphasized that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are very important to countries and economies around the world. Taiwan is the key to the global supply chain, and half of global trade passes through the Taiwan Strait. Anyone who disturbs peace in the Taiwan Strait will seriously harm the global economy. During the current Taiwan election and the subsequent presidential handover, the United States will ensure that it adopts both diplomatic and military measures to maintain open communication channels with Beijing.
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