TAIPEI—China was stepping up a campaign to exert influence over Taiwan, including its upcoming presidential election, a senior U.S. official said on April 18, at a time of heightened tension between the self-ruled island and Beijing.
China has increased military and diplomatic pressure on Taiwan, whose president, Tsai Ing-wen, Beijing suspects of pushing for the island’s formal independence, a red line for China which has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
