TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China has continued its aggressive rhetoric threatening violence toward Taiwan as its people head to the polls.
On Friday (Jan. 12), Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called on nations to respect the outcome of the presidential election in Taiwan. Hours later, a letter from China’s Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian (肖千) was published in The Australian, threatening that Aussies would be “pushed over an abyss” if Canberra made any “miscalculation” in its relations with an incoming Taiwanese administration.
"If Australia is tied to the chariot of Taiwan separatist forces, the Australian people will be pushed over the edge of an abyss,” the diplomat warned Australians.
In his letter, Xiao accused the Democratic Progressive Party and their presidential candidate Lai Ching-te (賴清德) of “colluding with external forces in successive provocative actions” to change the status quo in cross-strait relations.
Xiao Qian bluntly warned Australia not to make statements about safeguarding “peace and stability” in the Taiwan Strait, per The Australian.
In response to the threatening statements, opposition senate leader Simon Birmingham responded on X, formerly Twitter, by saying, “A stable and successful region is in Australia’s interest, as is engagement with partners like Taiwan. It is inappropriate for any nation to seek to dictate how Australia should engage with our partners.”
Xiao Qian has been the Chinese Ambassador to Australia since January 2022. That year, he made headlines by suggesting that Taiwanese people likely need to be “re-educated” to ensure a “correct understanding” of China if the Chinese Communist Party ever annexed Taiwan.
Xiao Qian's warning to Australia can be read below.
"I found that some local people have misunderstandings over the Taiwan question."
On the eve of Taiwan's presidential and legislative elections, an opinion piece by PRC ambassador Xiao Qian in The Australian.https://t.co/n8BHzzJh5O pic.twitter.com/BbBXiBSbXV
— @mhar4 (@mhar4) January 12, 2024
