China calls Lai Ching-te, Taiwan’s vice president and the leading presidential candidate, a “complete troublemaker” seeking independence of the island.
(Bloomberg) — China calls Lai Ching-te, Taiwan’s vice president and the leading presidential candidate, a “complete troublemaker” seeking independence of the island.
China’s Taiwan affairs office issued a statement on Tuesday on Lai’s comments in an exclusive interview with Bloomberg Businessweek. “We must work to maintain the peaceful status quo,” Lai said in the interview, which was conducted in Taipei on July 27. Lai is currently visiting Paraguay, one of only 13 countries that Taiwan counts as a diplomatic partner; last weekend, his “transit” through the US included a stopover in New York City.
“Lai’s comments on so-called maintaining the peaceful status quo are totally a lie,” the statement said. “Such a person will only bring risks of fierce war.”
China’s foreign ministry also criticized the US repeatedly this week for arranging Lai’s stopovers, saying the visit “seriously violates the one-China principle.” and undermines “sovereignty and territorial integrity” of the world’s second largest economy and America’s top rival.
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–With assistance from Jing Li.
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