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It’s been obvious that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been trying to send a message to Taiwan. Over the last couple months, these warnings have gone from vague, to obvious, to plain as day—and this very likely has something to do with Taiwan’s 2016 presidential elections leaning in a direction it doesn’t want.
Between late May and early June, the CCP’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) held several military exercises, which IHS Jane’s said simulated an invasion of Taiwan. During the drills, an image released by Chinese media showed a PLA officer giving a briefing behind a “digitally barely concealed map of Taiwan.”
As IHS Jane’s reported, the military exercises coincided with Tsai Ing-wen, the candidate for Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party, visiting the United States between May 29 and June 3.
In other words, the drills were meant as a warning, with Wen’s presidential campaign as their target.
These warnings soon got louder. CCTV, one of the official mouthpieces of the CCP, aired a video on July 5, which showed a military drill in Inner Mongolia, where its troops attack a building that looks strikingly similar to Taiwan’s presidential office.
The drills caused a stir in Taiwan. The Focus Taiwan news outlet paraphrased a quote from a defense ministry spokesman, Lou Shou-he, saying “The drills hit home for Taiwanese.”
And again, the message was clear. As Quartz stated in a July 23 article, “The video is full of political symbolism.” It notes the upcoming elections and Tsai’s likely victory, stating “some suggest that the simulated attack is China’s way of reminding Taiwan that it will make good on its promise of invading if Taiwan declares independence.”
Then, perhaps fearing that Taiwan still hadn’t caught their drift, the CCP came out directly with its line in early August. The statements were from Zhang Zhijun, head of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office and the CCP’s top policy maker in Taiwan.
Zhang stated, according to Reuters, that Taiwan could keep its ties to the CCP and “enjoy the peace dividend,” or it could return to its “evil ways” of independence.
Its important to understand the political climate in Taiwan, and why the CCP isn’t happy about it.
The incumbent, Ma Ying-jeou, is part of Taiwan’s Nationalist Party, which is widely criticized for being too friendly with the CCP.
