China, Taiwan Opposition Warn of Threat to Peace from Ruling Party Candidate

A poster of Taiwan's most likely presidential candidate, Lai Ching-te, appears on a bus in Taipei (AFP)
A poster of Taiwan's most likely presidential candidate, Lai Ching-te, appears on a bus in Taipei (AFP)
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China, Taiwan Opposition Warn of Threat to Peace from Ruling Party Candidate

A poster of Taiwan's most likely presidential candidate, Lai Ching-te, appears on a bus in Taipei (AFP)
A poster of Taiwan's most likely presidential candidate, Lai Ching-te, appears on a bus in Taipei (AFP)

China and Taiwan's largest opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), warned on Thursday of the danger Taiwan's ruling party presidential candidate Lai Ching-te could pose to peace if he wins the election this weekend.

Taiwan will hold a pivotal presidential and parliamentary election on Saturday, which is being closely watched internationally amid geopolitical tensions. China claims Taiwan as its own territory, to the objections of Taiwan's government.

China has not publicly nominated a preferred candidate or specified what the right choice is, but has framed the vote as a decision between war and peace.

China and the KMT have said the Democratic Progressive Party's Lai is a dangerous supporter of the island's formal independence. Lai has repeatedly offered talks with China but has been rebuffed. He says only Taiwan's people can decide their future.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office said in a statement that Lai is an "obstinate Taiwan independence worker" and that if he came to power he would further promote separatist activities.

"I sincerely hope the majority of Taiwan compatriots recognize the extreme harm of the DPP's 'Taiwan independence' line and the extreme danger of Lai Ching-te's triggering of cross-Strait confrontation and conflict, and to make the right choice at the crossroads of cross-Strait relations," it said.

There was no immediate response from Lai’s campaign team, according to Reuters.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry responded by condemning China for "once again blatantly intimidating the Taiwanese people and the international community" and seeking to affect the election.

China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control and has during the past four years stepped up military activity around the island, regularly sending warplanes and warships into the Taiwan Strait.

The KMT, which traditionally favors closer ties with China but denies being pro-Beijing, has also denounced Lai as an independence supporter.

Speaking to foreign reporters in Taipei's sister city, New Taipei, on Thursday, KMT vice presidential candidate Jaw Shaw-kong said that if Lai won, tensions would most likely rise even before May 20, when President Tsai Ing-wen hands over power to her successor.

"Tsai Ing-wen is more low key, not shouting every day about 'I'm for Taiwan independence' and the Taiwan Strait is already so tense. If Lai Ching-te wins, do you think the cross-strait situation will be better than it is now?"

Lai said on Tuesday that he would maintain the status quo in the strait and pursue peace through strength if elected, remaining open to engagement with Beijing under the preconditions of equality and dignity.

Referring to Lai's comments, China's Taiwan Affairs Office said Taiwan independence is "incompatible with peace".

Lai has said he does not seek to change Taiwan's formal name, the Republic of China. The republican government fled to the island in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong's Communists, who established the People's Republic of China.

The DPP has portrayed the KMT and its presidential candidate, Hou Yu-ih, as pro-Beijing.

Hou, sitting next to Jaw, said he wouldn't touch the issue of "unification" with China during his term in office if elected, while maintaining the status quo and encouraging communication with China but also opposing the "one country, two systems" autonomy model Beijing has offered to Taiwan.

"I firmly uphold Taiwan's democratic and free system; this is the middle path that Taiwan should take," Hou said, pledging to ensure strong defenses to give China pause if it were considering an attack. "When the Taiwan Strait is stable, Taiwan is safe, and the world can be at ease."



Large Russian Drone Attack Injures Civilians in Central Ukraine

Rescuers work at the site of a residential building damaged during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Dolynska, in Kirovohrad region, Ukraine, February 18, 2025. Head of Kirovohrad Regional Military Administration Andrii Raikovych via Telegram/Handout via REUTERS
Rescuers work at the site of a residential building damaged during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Dolynska, in Kirovohrad region, Ukraine, February 18, 2025. Head of Kirovohrad Regional Military Administration Andrii Raikovych via Telegram/Handout via REUTERS
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Large Russian Drone Attack Injures Civilians in Central Ukraine

Rescuers work at the site of a residential building damaged during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Dolynska, in Kirovohrad region, Ukraine, February 18, 2025. Head of Kirovohrad Regional Military Administration Andrii Raikovych via Telegram/Handout via REUTERS
Rescuers work at the site of a residential building damaged during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Dolynska, in Kirovohrad region, Ukraine, February 18, 2025. Head of Kirovohrad Regional Military Administration Andrii Raikovych via Telegram/Handout via REUTERS

A large-scale overnight Russian drone attack hit a residential building in the city of Dolynska in central Ukraine, injuring a mother and her two children and forcing evacuations from 38 apartments, a regional official said on Tuesday.
"A difficult night for the Kirovohrad region," Andriy Raikovych, the region's governor, said in a post on the Telegram messaging app. "An enemy drone hit a high-rise building in Dolynska."
The mother and one of the children were taken to hospital, said Raikovych, who posted photos of flames bursting out of windows of a high-story apartment building.
The Ukrainian military said on Tuesday that Russia launched 176 drones in a large-scale attack.
Ukraine's air force shot down 103 of the drones and 67 did not reach their targets, probably due to electronic countermeasures, the military said.
According to Reuters, it did not specify what happened to the remaining six drones, but said that Kirovohrad, Kharkiv, Kyiv and Cherkasy regions were impacted.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said that drone debris fell in one of the districts of the capital, causing a fire at an industrial enterprise.
Reuters could not independently verify the report. There was no immediate comment from Russia.
Both Moscow and Kyiv deny targeting civilians in the war, which Russia started with its full-scale invasion on Ukraine nearly three years ago. But thousands of civilians have died in the conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainian.
The attack took place as top Russian and US officials are meeting in Saudi Arabia for talks - without the participation of Kyiv or its European allies - on how to end the war in Ukraine.