People in Taiwan also view Russia’s attack on Ukraine - which Chinese President Xi Jinping has avoided condemning - as a sign of what could happen to them. China staged one of the biggest military drills ever seen around the island in 2022. Meanwhile, China’s suppression of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement in 2019, despite a promise to preserve the former British colony’s autonomy, stoked fears about China’s intentions for Taiwan. The Pentagon estimated in 2021 that China wants its military capable of overrunning Taiwan by 2027, though it didn’t predict an invasion.

While US officials say there is no change in policy, President Joe Biden has repeatedly said the US would come to the defense of Taiwan if it is attacked, breaking with a longtime stance known as strategic ambiguity. That’s when Washington recognized the Beijing-based People’s Republic as the “sole legal government of China” and ended formal diplomatic recognition of Taiwan - without clarifying the US position on the island’s sovereignty. Their choice is between a ruling party determined to maintain Taiwan’s political independence, and an opposition that sees closer ties with China as the only viable path.Ĭhina increasingly sees the US as abrogating its “ One China policy,” which has been the basis of relations since 1979.

Taiwanese voters could either fuel or dampen the mounting tensions. The US has increasingly positioned itself as prepared to act to stop any such military move. China sees its eventual control of the self-governed island off its shores as a national security issue and doesn’t rule out the use of force to make it happen. Taiwanese voters will do more than just choose their next president and legislature when they go to the polls in January 2024: They will help set the course for US-China relations for years to come.

China shores slot wins 2024