"China May Retaliate Against Taiwan After Tsai Ing-wen's Reelection Success"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Eunbyeol] Taiwan's pro-independence President Tsai Ing-wen succeeded in her re-election on the 11th, and the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the 12th that China may retaliate against Taiwan.

According to SCMP, experts agreed that since President Tsai, who rejects the "One China" principle and shows pro-independence tendencies, was re-elected, China is likely to take retaliatory measures.

Professor Limoshi Lee, a Taiwan expert at Western Kentucky University in the United States, predicted, "China may pursue a strategy of pressuring the remaining 15 countries that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan to sever ties." After President Tsai took office in 2016, China adopted this strategy, leading seven countries?El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Burkina Faso, S?o Tom? and Pr?ncipe, Panama, the Solomon Islands, and Kiribati?to cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan and establish relations with China. As a result, the number of countries maintaining diplomatic relations with Taiwan has decreased to only 15, and if additional severances occur, Taiwan's isolation on the international stage could deepen further.

Professor Lin Ying-yu of Taiwan's National Chung Cheng University suggested the possibility of China posing military threats to Taiwan, such as Chinese military aircraft conducting threatening flights near Taiwan. Since President Tsai took office, China has already increased military pressure by conducting large-scale live-fire exercises near Taiwan.

However, experts pointed out that China's retaliation against Taiwan may face difficulties in actual implementation due to the variable of the "United States." They added that the U.S. policy toward Taiwan could change depending on developments in U.S.-China trade negotiations and the U.S. presidential election.

In the election held the previous day, incumbent Democratic Progressive Party candidate President Tsai won re-election with a record-high 8.17 million votes (57.1%), defeating Kuomintang candidate Han Kuo-yu, mayor of Kaohsiung, who received 5.52 million votes (38.6%).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.