SALAMI TACTICS: A high-level official said China wants to ‘deepen its friendship with Taiwan’ a day after state media threatened war over a Taiwan-friendly US bill
Taipei Times
Date: Mar 04, 2018
By: Sean Lin / Staff reporter, with Reuters, BEIJING
Beijing is expected to further constrict Taiwan’s international space by intervening in the
nation’s relations with key players in the international community, following a government restructuring that is expected to be approved by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) at its annual meeting tomorrow.
Using “salami tactics” — a divide-and-conquer process of using threats and alliances to overcome opposition — China is expected to focus more on influencing Taiwan’s relations with key international players, such as the US, while continuing to conduct military drills near Taiwan, court its diplomatic allies and ramp up military and economic pressure on the nation, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported yesterday.
While it is unclear how the restructuring would affect China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) and other agencies responsible for Beijing’s Taiwan policy, former Chinese ambassador to the UN Liu Jieyi (劉結一) is expected to play a role, the newspaper said.
Liu is TAO deputy chairman. [FULL STORY]