China says Taiwan ruling party ‘creating panic’ with emergency alert over Beijing satellite

China on Wednesday accused Taiwan’s ruling party of “creating panic” after the island’s authorities issued a national emergency alert over a satellite launch by Beijing.

Phones across Taiwan blared with a “presidential alert” Tuesday afternoon, around the time Beijing announced the successful launch of its Einstein Probe satellite, which it says will gather astronomical data.

Asked about the alert on Wednesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning accused Taiwan’s ruling party, the Democratic Progressive Party, of “creating panic”.

“I think everyone is clear about what aims the DPP authorities had in mind in misleading the public,” she said.

China claims self-ruled Taiwan, which holds elections on Saturday, as part of its territory and has vowed to seize it one day.

The election is being closely watched — including by policymakers in Beijing and Washington — as its outcome will impact the future of Taiwan’s relations with an increasingly assertive China.

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