ISTANBUL

Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te warned Thursday that Taiwan and Europe are facing “the threat of a new authoritarian bloc,” citing increasing interference, disinformation campaigns and economic coercion, according to a statement from his office.

Lai made the remarks in a speech commemorating the Allied victory in World War II -- the first time Taiwan formally observed the occasion.

“We are seeing our decades-old undersea cables, crucial for communications and cybersecurity, being sabotaged,” said Lai.

He cited efforts to disrupt Taiwan’s democratic process. “We are seeing external interference in our elections, crucial for healthy democratic development, through the spread of misinformation and disinformation, sowing intentional division in society,” he said. “We are seeing our fair, free, and open international rules-based markets being tested by all manner of gray-zone activities, dumping, pressures, and intrusion.

“Our fair, free, and open international rules-based markets are being tested by all manner of gray-zone activities, dumping, pressures, and intrusion,” he added.

Lai emphasized that “no matter the driving reason or ideology, military aggression against another country is an unjust crime that is bound to fail,” and said that “those who unite as partners to defend their homelands, freedom, and democracy ultimately emerge victorious.”

China-Russia ties draw scrutiny

The Taiwanese leader's comments come as Chinese President Xi Jinping is on a state visit to Russia to attend the commemoration of the Soviet Union's victory against Nazi Germany during World War II -- a conflict Russia refers to as the Great Patriotic War.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian described Lai's remarks as using "democracy and freedom" as a pretext to mask a separatist agenda, which his party "consistently use," according to the state-run Global Times.

"No matter what they say or do, they cannot alter the historical and legal fact that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory, nor can they change the international community's prevailing consensus on upholding the one-China principle," said Lin.

"China’s ultimate and inevitable reunification" with Taiwan "is unstoppable," Xi wrote in an article released in the Russian Gazette on Wednesday.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry called the piece a "deliberate attempt to deceive the international community."

China views Taiwan as a "breakaway" province, while Taipei has asserted its independence since 1949.

Separately, opposition party Kuomintang head Eric Chu on Wednesday referred to Lai's behavior against the opposition as "exactly what (Adolf) Hitler did," in regards to the recent crackdown on the alleged forgery of signatures used in recall petitions against ruling party legislators, according to the state-run Focus Taiwan.