The Chinese Communist Party escalated its saber-rattling against Taiwan, announcing it will be ramping up influence operations.
People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Huning, the fourth-highest ranking member of the CCP, told allies at the Taiwan Work Conference in Beijing that they will need to “firmly support the patriotic pro-unification forces on the island,” according to state-owned media outlet Xinhua.
Wang further threatened to “resolutely strike against ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces, oppose interference by external forces, and safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
Taiwan has appeared unperturbed by Wang’s comments, seeing it as the standard bellicosity to be expected when the People’s Republic feels threatened.
A source familiar with the matter told the Washington Examiner that the threats of strikes and support for fifth columns are just the “usual rhetoric” deployed by China, designed to scare the voting public.”
Spy networks and domestic operations aligned with Beijing are a well-known problem on the island.
“Espionage is ongoing,” the source acknowledged, as well as “grey zone” activities — clandestine actions taken to subvert the Taiwanese government, manipulate public opinion, or otherwise create confusion among the public.
The People’s Liberation Army has openly advocated use of the “Three Warfares,” public opinion warfare, psychological warfare, and legal warfare, since at least 2003, when the strategy was approved by the Central Military Commission.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te denounced China on Tuesday via social media, decrying the life imprisonment of Hong Kong newspaper magnate Jimmy Lai announced over the weekend.
Lai called the “one country, two systems” model of governance implemented in Hong Kong, the model that China desires to also implement in Taiwan, a “tool of political persecution” that “tramples human rights and freedom of press.”
Beijing’s threats come amid a tense period in East Asia following the electoral victory of Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party, led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Takaichi, already despised by the Beijing elite for stating that a hypothetical invasion of Taiwan could constitute a national security crisis that demands military intervention, sent the CCP into a panic on Monday when she announced her intention to rewrite the Japanese constitution to allow for a standing military.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet with President Donald Trump, a close friend and ally of Takaichi, in April. Taiwan is expected to be a tense topic at this summit as the White House remains outwardly committed to defending the island.
“This administration has been very clear that the enduring US commitment to Taiwan continues, as it has for over four decades,” a spokesperson for the State Department told Taiwanese outlet CNA on Monday. “We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan, and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan.”
CHINA PANICS AFTER TAKAICHI DECLARES INTENTION TO REMILITARIZE JAPAN
Beijing has been frustrated by a U.S. arms deal with Taiwan, worth approximately $11.1 billion, struck late last year. A further deal is reportedly being considered that would provide the island with valuable Patriot and NASAMS missile systems.
Trump spoke with Xi last week over the phone, and a Chinese read-out of their exchange claims the paramount leader warned the president he must “handle the issue of arms sales to Taiwan with prudence.”