The Taiwan Coast Guard said the government in Taipei does not rule out the possibility of China starting a “political war“ to undermine the spirit of Taiwanese society ahead of the anniversary of President Lai Chin-te (William Lai) taking office this week, Reuters reported, BTA reports.
Beijing considers Lai, who marks one year in office on Tuesday, a “separatist“ and rejects his offers of dialogue. Lai, for his part, rejects China's claims to sovereignty over the self-governing island and stresses that only the people of Taiwan have the right to decide their own future.
The Taiwan government's Mainland Affairs Council also warned that Beijing could organize new military exercises around the anniversary to create tension and increase pressure on Taiwan.
Photos of a man who claimed to have swum across the Taiwan Strait in a small boat, planted a Chinese flag on a remote Taiwanese beach and then returned to China appeared on Chinese social media yesterday. The video was later removed.
Meanwhile, on Friday, the Taiwanese coast guard said it had arrested two Chinese nationals who illegally entered Taiwan's territorial waters in a rubber boat.
Coast Guard Deputy Chief Hsieh Chin-ching said China has been using the opportunity to conduct military maneuvers and other pressure tactics for some time. "It is not out of the question that on the anniversary of President Lai's inauguration, the Chinese communists will again use such methods - including videos - to wage political warfare and undermine the spirit of our people," he told reporters.