China calls Taiwan presidential front-runner ‘destroyer of peace’

China has branded Taiwan presidential frontrunner William Lai a “destroyer of peace” following a televised debate on Saturday in which he defended the island’s right to rule itself as a democracy (Pei Chen/Pool/AP)

China has branded Taiwan presidential front-runner William Lai a “destroyer of peace” following a televised debate on Saturday in which he defended the island’s right to rule itself as a democracy.

Chen Binhua, spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said Mr Lai’s discourse at the debate was “full of confrontational thinking”.