China knocks US for ‘brazen chattering’ ahead of Taiwan election

China condemned the U.S. for “brazen chattering” ahead of Taiwan’s presidential election, calling out Washington officials after they proposed to visit the island following the vote and warned China against interfering in the election.

China “expresses strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to the American side’s brazen chattering about the elections in the Taiwan region,” China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The pushback came after a senior U.S. official said Wednesday that Washington planned to send an unofficial delegation to Taiwan following the Jan. 13 election, the South China Morning Post reported. The administration official also said Washington opposes outside interference.

The outcome of the election could impact whether Taiwan will be pulled closer or pushed further from Beijing.

The island is a key factor in the U.S.-China struggle over who dominates Asia. Many Taiwanese see themselves as part of a separate nation, but China claims Taiwan is a breakaway province.

The U.S. must “refrain from intervening in the elections in the Taiwan region in any form, so as to avoid causing serious damage to China-US relations,” Mao said Thursday, according to the AFP.

The two most prominent candidates in this year’s election are William Lai, from the ruling Democratic Progressive party, and Hou Yu-ih, his main rival from the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party.

Lai, who had been leading in pre-election polls, told voters to “choose the right path” to ensure the island’s sovereignty. Hou has characterized Lai as a danger to Taiwan-China relations, according to the BBC.

China has criticized Lai and the ruling party in Taiwan ahead of the election, portraying the contest as a choice between war and peace.

“[Lai] would continue to follow the evil path of provoking ‘independence’ and … take Taiwan ever further away from peace and prosperity, and ever closer to war and decline,” China’s Taiwan Affairs office said in a statement reported by the BBC.

Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu criticized China, saying “Beijing should stop messing with other countries’ elections & hold their own.”