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Taiwan President Says China Interfering in Election ‘Every Day’

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Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) said on Nov. 18 that early voting states Iowa and New Hampshire are “not representative” of the United States in the modern era. “I don’t think it matters what happens in Iowa or New Hampshire because those states are not representative of the country anymore,” the longtime Nevada senator told reporters in Las Vegas. Reid said his state of Nevada is the third to weigh in on the election but the first that looks like the rest of the country, with a sizeable Latino population and significant groups of Asian American and black voters. While Nevada’s population is about 48 percent white, Iowa has a white population of about 85 percent and New Hampshire has a white population of about 90 percent, according to…

Supporters of Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen wait for her arrival to formally register her candidacy for the election, in Taipei, Taiwan on Nov. 19, 2019. (Ben Blanchard/Reuters)

TAIPEI—China is interfering in Taiwan’s elections “every day” as it seeks to damage the island’s democracy, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said on Nov. 19, after China sailed an aircraft carrier group near the self-ruled island on the weekend.

The election campaign, which is also for Taiwan’s legislature, has kicked into high gear, and is being closely watched by Taiwan’s giant neighbor China, which claims Taiwan as sacred Chinese territory, to be brought under its control by force if needed.

China on Sunday sailed an aircraft carrier group through the sensitive Taiwan Strait, the same day Tsai announced her running mate, former premier William Lai, who has angered Beijing with his pro-independence comments. Taiwan denounced the carrier sailing as attempt to intimidate voters.

China fears Tsai and her Democratic Progressive Party will push for Taiwan’s formal independence, a red line for Beijing which in 2005 enacted an “anti-secession law” that allows it to use force on Taiwan in extreme cases.

Tsai, speaking after formally registering to run for re-election in the Jan. 11 vote, said the vote was happening at a crucial time, as China’s pressure grows and against the backdrop of pro-democracy protests in Chinese-run Hong Kong.

“Our Republic of China, Taiwan, is a country, a sovereign, independent country. Our people have the right to choose their own president,” she told reporters, referring to Taiwan by its official name.

Asked whether she supported Taiwan independence, Tsai said the island already had sovereignty.

“We have sovereignty, we have a government, we have a democratic free system, we defend ourself, we have diplomatic relations. This is the Republic of China, Taiwan, that I’m talking about,” she said.

China’s attempts to involve itself in Taiwan’s election are “clear and easy to see” as they seek to damage the island’s democracy, Tsai added, when asked about the Chinese carrier group in the Taiwan Strait.

“As a large country, internationally and regionally they have to have a responsibility to maintain regional peace and stability,” she said.

Tsai declined direct comment on the Chinese carrier which she called an “individual case.”

“China intervening in Taiwan’s election is happening, and it’s happening every day.”

Chinese leader Xi Jinping said in January that China reserved the right to use force to bring Taiwan under its control but will strive to achieve peaceful “reunification.”

Tsai is leading in the polls over her main opponent Han Kuo-yu of the China-friendly Kuomintang party.

By Ben Blanchard

This article is from the Internet:Taiwan President Says China Interfering in Election ‘Every Day’

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