US Has Confidence in Taiwan Vote as It Watches for Interference

Michelle Jamrisko and Akayla Gardner
·3 min read
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(Bloomberg) -- The US is closely monitoring for any signs of Chinese interference in Taiwan’s upcoming election but has complete confidence in the island’s democratic process, according to a senior administration official.

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The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to brief reporters Wednesday, said the US is trying to ensure its channels of communication with Beijing remain open before the vote, scheduled for Saturday, and during any transition period.

The Biden administration has been clear to Beijing that it harbors serious concerns about any coercion and is in touch with Taiwan on the matter, the official added. That message, the official said, was conveyed to China in high-level engagements. So far, the US has seen efforts by Beijing to influence information around the upcoming vote, the official said, but that was unlikely to affect the outcome.

US officials have tread carefully regarding the election, highlighting a desire to continue improving relations with Beijing after the November meeting between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, but warning against efforts to sway the vote, which will likely set the tone for cross-Strait relations and US-China ties for years to come.

Biden, after meeting Xi, reiterated that Beijing should not meddle in the Taiwan election. “I made it clear. I didn’t expect any interference,” Biden said at the time.

The vote pits the ruling Democratic Progressive Party against the opposition Kuomintang, which seeks a more China-friendly policy, and the Taiwan People’s Party. The US does not have a favored candidate, the senior administration official said Wednesday.

The US is also preparing a delegation to Taiwan, according to the official, who said there was longstanding precedent for such visits.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen warned in November that the democracy of some 23 million people faces “mounting military intimidation, gray-zone campaigns, cyber attacks and information manipulation.” Authorities issued an air raid alert earlier this week following a Chinese satellite launch over the island.

China and the threat it poses to Taiwan’s democracy has emerged as the dominant theme in the election. Xi has issued stark reminders of the Communist Party’s territorial claims over the self-governing island, reiterating Taiwan would “surely be reunified” with China some day.

Presidential candidate Lai Ching-te, currently vice president of the incumbent Democratic Progressive Party administration, said this week that Beijing’s interference has been the “most serious” of any vote in Taiwan. His opponents, Hou Yu-ih of the Kuomintang and Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People’s Party, are both pledging to smooth relations with China without sacrificing the island’s de facto independence.

“We have seen some election interference that I think is worth noting,” Lily McElwee of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington said last week, citing Beijing’s pressuring of a Taiwanese rock group to voice support for reunification, alongside heightened Chinese military activity.

‘Crucial Litmus Test’

Others take a starker view of Chinese election meddling. Taiwan will be a “crucial litmus test” of the Chinese Communist Party’s electoral warfare strategy, said Craig Singleton of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington.

In a National Intelligence Council report declassified last month, US officials concluded China “tacitly approved efforts to try to influence a handful of midterm races involving members of both US political parties” in 2022, and that foreign governments were likely planning how to influence this year’s US vote.

--With assistance from Betty Hou and Cindy Wang.

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