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This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

Dire Straits – After Taiwan’s election, could China attempt a stealth takeover?

This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

Podmasters

News, Society & Culture, Politics

4.91.6K Ratings

🗓️ 17 January 2024

⏱️ 34 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Tensions are rising across the Taiwan Strait. China is enraged that the Taiwanese people have chosen a man Beijing calls a “troublemaker”, William Lai, as their President. Now Xi Jinping has become personally invested in regaining the territory. While a hot military conflict would be disastrous far beyond the region, China has many other options from trade blockades to naval harassment. So how far will Beijing go to achieve what it calls the “historical inevitability” of reunification with Taiwan? Gavin Esler talks to journalist William Yang in Taipei and China expert Richard McGregor of the Lowy Institute in Sydney about a decades-old conflict that is heating up alarmingly. • “China tried to drum up rhetoric that the election was a choice between war and peace… This sabre-rattling only worked among the older generation.” – William Yang • “There’s not much the US could do in the short-term if China decided to move.” – Richard McGregor • “Xi has a ton of enemies, from people whose careers he destroyed in his anticorruption campaign to more liberal Chinese… They are waiting for him to stumble.” – Richard McGregor Support This Is Not A Drill on Patreon to get early episodes, merchandise and more. Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Additional music by Simon Williams. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Spark your creativity with the Sims. Sometimes you might feel like you're not creative

0:07.0

and you have to go in search of your creative spark again. Maybe this is catching up with creative

0:11.9

friends, experimenting with a new look or trying out a new recipe.

0:16.0

And thanks to The Sims, inspiration is just one game and one spark away.

0:21.0

Ready to spark something? Download The Sims 4 and play for free. I want to thank the Taiwanese people for writing a new chapter in our democracy.

0:37.0

I want to thank the Taiwanese people for writing a new chapter in our democracy.

0:42.0

The people of Taiwan have spoken and the authorities in

0:46.0

mainland China very much dislike what they've said. We are telling the

0:52.2

international community that between democracy and authoritarianism, we will stand

0:59.0

on the side of democracy. The Taiwanese people have successfully resisted efforts

1:06.0

from external forces to influence this election. The man the Chinese Communist

1:11.2

Party describes as a troublemaker,

1:13.3

William Lai, has been elected Taiwan's president.

1:16.5

Beijing responded by insisting that Taiwan is part of mainland China

1:21.1

and repeated its demand for peaceful reunification

1:25.0

while never ruling out the use of force.

1:28.0

The How far is China prepared to go to

1:35.0

how far is China prepared to go to secure what President G calls

1:40.0

the historical inevitability of reunification.

1:43.6

I'm Gavolestner.

1:45.2

This is not a drill. So, In the run-up to Taiwan's presidential and parliamentary election last weekend,

2:15.1

the Chinese authorities suggested it was a choice between war and peace.

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