(TotalConservative.com) – A series of military live-fire drills in the East China Sea are being scrutinized for attempting to interfere in elections being held in Taiwan this week. The exercises went on for two days within a week of the national Taiwanese elections. Historically Beijing has used military drills and naval displays to attempt to intimidate the tiny island nation which it considers its territory.
The Chinese Maritime Safety Administration put out a “navigation warning” on Sunday, January 7th warning about the live-fire drills in the area which were ongoing on Monday and Tuesday this week.
Taiwan Vice President and presidential candidate Lai Ching-te issued public comments about the drills on Tuesday, January 9th. Lai highlighted that China always interferes in Taiwan’s elections. Calling it “a total mess,” Lai added that China uses threats of war and the bait of peace to attempt to cow and corral the Taiwanese population to support the communist party.
Lai added that the Taiwanese people aren’t so easily influenced and would make their voices heard with “their sacred vote.” Should China successfully take over Taiwan, it would become a Chinese vassal state like Hong Kong. China has previously threatened to take the island by force.
Taiwanese polling showed that upward of 85% of the people on the small island nation have already rejected China’s proposed “one country, two systems” campaign which is how Hong Kong is run.
The latest drills suggest China hasn’t completely learned its lesson from past attempts at interfering with the elections in Taiwan via displays of force. In the past, China has engaged in far more exercises and drills around the elections. The decrease suggests Chinese authorities may have realized that their attempts were backfiring and causing more Taiwanese nationalism.
Newsweek writers highlight a 1996 event where China launched missiles into the ocean relatively close to Taiwan ahead of their elections that year. President Bill Clinton responded by sending an aircraft carrier and support vessels to the area.
Lai emphasized that Taiwan will always be open to peaceful coexistence with the Chinese Communist Party, despite its belligerent rhetoric.
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