China ‘clearly’ trying to interfere in Taiwan’s democracy, Taipei says before recall vote

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TAIPEI (Reuters) -China is “clearly” trying to interfere in Taiwan’s democracy and it is up to Taiwan’s people to decide who should be removed from or stay in office, the island’s government said on Wednesday ahead of a recall vote for around one-fifth of lawmakers.

On Saturday, Taiwan voters will decide on the fate of 24 lawmakers from Taiwan’s largest opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), in a recall campaign started by civic groups who accuse the lawmakers of cozying up to Beijing, which views the island as its own territory.

The KMT denies being pro-Beijing, but says it needs to keep lines of communication with China open, and has denounced the recalls as a “malicious” attack on democracy that does not respect the results of last year’s parliamentary election.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office and Chinese state media have repeatedly commented on the recall vote and used some of the same talking points as the Kuomintang, Reuters reported this week.

In a post on Facebook citing the Reuters report and research by Taiwan’s IORG, which analyses Chinese state media reports, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said it “rejects the Chinese Communist Party’s intervention”.

“The Chinese Communist Party’s attempt to interfere with Taiwan’s democratic operation is evident and clear,” it said.

“Recall in Taiwan is a civil right guaranteed by the constitution, and it is up to the people of Taiwan to decide who should or should not be removed from office.”

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to a request for comment. It has also not responded to questions submitted last week by Reuters about the recall and whether China was seeking to interfere in the outcome.

The recall campaign has been happening against a backdrop of China ramping up its own military and diplomatic pressure campaign against Taiwan to assert territorial claims that Taiwan resolutely rejects.

(Reporting By Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Stephen Coates)