The United States has sent a clear signal to China, expressing opposition to any external interference or influence on future presidential and parliamentary elections in Taiwan.
A senior official in the Biden administration stated that Washington has no intention of interfering in the electoral process on the island.
The Taiwan elections on January 13 come at a critical juncture in US-China relations, with President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping having only recently re-established military-to-military contacts when they met in California late November.
According to the official reports, Washington does not take sides in elections and does not have a favorite or preferred candidate.
The United States is Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties with the island.
The elections are taking place against a backdrop of a ramped-up war of words between Taiwan and China, which views the island as its own territory despite the strong objections of the Taiwanese government.
The launch of a Chinese satellite that flew over Taiwan, prompting an erroneous air raid alert, sparked a political storm on the island on Wednesday about China’s motives only days out from presidential elections.
The United States plans to send an unofficial delegation to Taiwan in the aftermath of the elections to hold direct communications. The official said some former high-ranking American officials were likely to be included.
The official added that sending the delegation was “well within precedent and is of course consistent with our one China policy.”
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