TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s chief representative in the United States, Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), denies interference by China will influence the result of next January’s elections, reports said Friday (Sept. 9).
She told Bloomberg News that China had been meddling in Taiwan’s domestic politics since the first direct presidential elections in 1996, with its methods growing increasingly sophisticated.
However, Hsiao said she was confident that in the end, voters would not give in to coercion from China when making a decision about the nation’s future. Taiwan was focusing on building a resilient democracy, she said.
The envoy emphasized the country’s efforts to safeguard regional peace and stability, and to maintain the status quo, per CNA.
At the end of the interview, Hsiao was also asked about media reports that Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) might invite her to be his running mate in the Jan. 13, 2024 presidential election. She insisted that at present, her entire focus was on developing relations between the U.S. and Taiwan.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Lai has maintained a comfortable lead in most opinion polls. He will likely face Kuomintang (KMT) candidate and New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜), Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chair Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), and Foxconn Technology founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) in the election.
