A Taiwanese minister accused China of intimidation ahead of upcoming elections after Beijing sent its first domestically-built aircraft carrier to sail through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, Taipei's defence ministry said.

China, which sees self-ruled democratic Taiwan as part of its territory, has stepped up military drills around the island since Beijing-sceptic President Tsai Ing-wen came to power in 2016.

Taipei's foreign minister Joseph Wu tweeted that China "intends to intervene in #Taiwan's elections", adding: "Voters won't be intimidated!"

The defence ministry said in a statement reassuring the public it had dispatched ships and planes to track and closely monitor the carrier's movements.

It added ships from the United States and Japan trailed the carrier in the strait.

Beijing has also ramped up diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan as Tsai's government refuses to acknowledge the island is part of "one China."

Tsai -- who has voiced support for Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement -- is seeking a second term against a challenger who favours much warmer relations with China.

She has described the January elections as a fight for Taiwan's freedom and democracy.

Earlier Sunday Tsai announced former premier William Lai, who has styled himself as a "Taiwan independence worker," as her running mate in a move likely to irritate Beijing.

In a statement about the ship sailing through the strait, Tsai's office said: "It is a joint responsibility and goal to maintain peace and stability between the two sides... Beijing should cherish peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and in the region that have not come easily".

Most recently China's Liaoning -- a repurposed Soviet carrier bought from Ukraine that went into service in 2012 -- passed through the Taiwan Strait in June.

US navy ships periodically conduct "freedom of navigation" operations in the Taiwan Strait, while Canadian and French ships had also sailed through the narrow waterway separating Taiwan from the Chinese mainland this year.

China views any passing through the strait as a breach of its territorial sovereignty -- while the US and many other nations see the route as international space.

Related Links
Taiwan News at SinoDaily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Taiwan presidential candidates welcome Google campaign advert ban
Taipei (AFP) Nov 14, 2019
Taiwan's presidential candidates on Thursday welcomed a temporary ban imposed by Google on campaign ads, intended to combat disinformation in the run-up to next year's elections. The island will elect a new president and parliament on January 11, and authorities say they are facing growing interference from China. Beijing has ramped up Taiwan's isolation ever since President Tsai Ing-wen took office three years ago, because her party refuses to acknowledge that Taiwan is part of "one China". ... read more