Xi’s 25-minute virtual address for the World Economic Forum was seen by many as a veiled message for President Joe Biden. The Communist Party chairman warned against forming “cliques” and starting a “new Cold War,” likely references to Biden’s call for a “coalition of democracies” to counter growing Chinese influence in Asia.
However, the Chinese leader’s remarks appeared to strike a chord with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Wang Ting-yu, who is a vocal supporter of closer U.S.-Taiwan ties, and an equally loud critic of Beijing’s perceived intimidation of the democratic island nation.
Following the Davos speech, Wang took to Facebook on Tuesday and accused him of hypocrisy, sharing an image of a tweet by the World Economic Forum that contained the Xi quotes “the strong should not bully the weak” and “decisions should not be made by simply showing off strong muscles or waving a big fist.”
Wang, who is co-chair of the Taiwanese government’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, wrote: “Xi Jinping understands this philosophy after all.”
“Start in the Taiwan Strait and practice what you preach!” he added while addressing the Chinese president by his nickname “Xi Dada.”
Xi’s Davos address came a day after the Chinese Air Force flew 15 warplanes into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), having also sent 13 People’s Liberation Army aircraft the day before that.
The unusually large operation, which included H-6K heavy bombers as well as J-16 and J-10 fighter jets, coincided with the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt to the South China Sea—a move Beijing branded as “muscle-flexing.”
The recent Chinese military activity in the Taiwan Strait was meant to test the Biden administration’s “bottom line,” Wang told reporters on Tuesday. Beijing popularized the tactic last year when former President Donald Trump sent cabinet-level officials to Taipei for rare diplomatic calls.
The Chinese Communist Party was also seeking to make warplane incursions into Taiwan’s ADIZ appear routine, so as to establish its own South China Sea ADIZ, according to Wang.
ADIZs are widely used but not regulated under any international law. Countries nonetheless request prior notice of any foreign aircraft activity within the zone, which usually extends well beyond its territorial airspace.
The legitimacy of Taiwan’s ADIZ has come under scrutiny for its dramatic extension into China’s eastern province of Fujian. Taipei responds to every PLA aircraft intrusion by dispatching its own interceptor jets.
China established its own ADIZ in the East China Sea in 2013. Entry into the area by foreign military aircraft is seen by Beijing as just cause to drive them away using fighters.
Speculation about a possible Beijing-drawn ADIZ in the South China Sea has been ongoing since last year. It is thought to be in the works, but potential negative reactions by the U.S. and various claimants in the disputed waters are so far delaying China’s decision.
The establishment of such a zone would likely cover Taiwan’s own ADIZ, further complicating the delicate military balance in the region.