China reaffirms its military threats against Taiwan weeks before the island's presidential election

Weeks before Taiwan holds elections for its president and legislature, China has renewed its threat to use military force to annex the self-governing island democracy it claims as its own territory

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Weeks before Taiwan holds elections for its president and legislature, China renewed its threat to use military force to annex the self-governing island democracy it claims as its own territory.

Defense Ministry spokesperson Col. Wu Qian on told reporters Thursday at a monthly briefing that China’s armed forces would “as always take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard our national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Taiwan’s 23 million people overwhelmingly favor maintaining the island’s de-facto independent status, leaving the Jan. 13 polls to be decided largely by concerns over housing prices, health care, employment and education. China has continued sending warships and fighter jets near Taiwan as an intimidation tactic, even as Taiwan’s military said it's raising alert levels before the vote.

The ruling party's candidate, William Lai, holds a lead in most surveys, while the main opposition Nationalist Party's candidate, Hou You-yi, has sought to appeal to voters who fear a military conflict with China that could draw in the United States and lead to massive disruptions in the global economy.

Hou's campaign literature, distributed Thursday in Taipei, affirmed his opposition to Taiwan independence and concurrence with Beijing's view of Taiwan as a part of China.