Taiwan’s ruling party called China the “enemy of democracy” and accused Beijing of interfering in its politics ahead of the island’s presidential and legislative elections on January 11. Australian media reported the accusations made by a Chinese asylum seeker who said he was a spy while the government in Beijing dismissed the allegations dubbing the defector a fraud.
Wang Liqiang alleged that he himself was a spy, and described the shocking operations carried out by China’s agents, claiming he was tasked with interfering in Taiwanese elections and that the government in Beijing were using Hong Kong listed companies to manipulate its media, the Financial Times reported.
Cho Jung-tai, Chairman of Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party condemned China in a scathing statement
He said: “The enemy of democracy is China. At present Taiwan’s most ambitious opponent, competitor, is also China.”
There is also fear of Chinese interference in Australia, where the domestic intelligence agency (ASIO) is investigating whether China tried to install an agent in federal parliament in what Prime Minister Scott Morrison called “deeply disturbing” allegations.
Australia’s ’60 Minutes’ programme reported the story which ASIO are now investigating, serving as another marker of deteriorating relations between the two countries.
Prime Minister Morrison said to reporters in Canberra: “I find the allegations deeply disturbing and troubling.”
Noting that the government had ramped up Australia’s laws and security agencies to counter foreign interference, he added: “Australia is not naive to the threats that it faces more broadly.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping has made Taiwan a central political battleground in Asia as he looks to reassert Beijing’s grip on the island, which China claims full sovereignty over.
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Taiwanese citizens generally want to remain a separate state however, and this resistance has resulted in increased hostility between the two.
Australia has also seen recurring attempts from China to influence its domestic politics as well as its foreign policy in the South China Sea.
Investigative journalist Nick McKenzie discovered a businessman – Huang Xiangmo – who paid off an Australian Labor Party debt of $5000 (£2,600), and then began asking frontbencher Sam Dastyari for favours such as accelerating his citizenship application.
He also sought to use Mr Dastyari as a route to breeding pro Chinese rhetoric over its claim to the South China Sea – Australia has been one of many nations to oppose its Nine-Dash Line claim.
In 2018, Dastyari resigned after the investigation unveiled his links to Beijing.
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Despite China’s political tactics sparking fear in its rival’s politicians, the diplomatic aggression has also caused issues for Beijing.
It has provoked the US to enter the fray in the South China Sea, coming to the aid of smaller nations such as Vietnam and the Philippines.
Last week, Washington helped Hanoi in its effort to thwart China by sending its former opponents a littoral ship, aiding Vietnam’s ability to fend off foreign vessels.
US Defence Secretary Mark Esper called out Beijing for “bullying” smaller nations in the region, adding that “China’s unilateral efforts to assert illegitimate maritime claims threaten other nations’ access to vital natural resources, undermine the stability of regional energy markets, and increase the risk of conflict”.
US warships also infuriated the Chinese military by patrolling contested waters last week, with a spokesman for Beijing’s military saying: “We urge [the US] to stop these provocative actions to avoid any unforeseeable accidents.”