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China's intimidation will not help cross-strait dialogue: DPP's Lai

ROC Central News Agency

12/13/2023 07:07 PM

Taipei, Dec. 13 (CNA) China's intimidation will not facilitate cross-Taiwan Strait dialogue, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) campaign office said Wednesday after Beijing accused Lai of supporting Taiwan independence.

The office was responding to criticism of Lai's election slogan "Choose the right person, take the right path" made by Zhu Fenglian (朱鳳蓮), a spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office.

When asked about the slogan, Zhu said at a press conference that based on "public opinions" she has heard, the term "right people" refers to "separatists" and the "right path" describes the road toward Taiwan independence.

Without making clear what opinions she has been listening to, Zhu said it was widely acknowledged that individuals labeled as Taiwan independence workers are perceived as troublemakers, peace destroyers, and war makers, while the pursuit of Taiwan independence is seen as a "misguided and dead-end path."

In response, Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱), spokesman for Lai's campaign office, underlined in a statement the importance of not resorting to intimidation, and said Beijing's approach did not contribute to cross-strait dialogue.

He said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was adhering to its "old route" of totalitarian politics and criticized China for consistently presenting narratives that run counter to those upheld by democratic countries worldwide because of its lack of understanding of democracy, freedom, and regular election systems.

Ensuring peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait was the shared responsibility of both sides, he said.

Lai, of the independence leaning DPP, has described himself in the past as a "pragmatic worker for Taiwan independence," but he has more recently toned down such rhetoric.

Beijing aggressively rejects any actions or statements that suggest Taiwan is a sovereign state independent from China, and has vowed to unify with Taiwan, by force if necessary.

In November, a Chinese official handling Taiwanese affairs warned that any attempt to push for Taiwanese independence would "mean war."

Taiwan's presidential and legislative elections will be held on Jan. 13, 2024. Currently, Lai and his running mate are the front-runners, based on the most recent polls.

(By Yeh Su-ping and Chung Yu-chen)

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