China is stoking a controversy in order to influence Taiwan’s election

ALICE OU DOESDPP not mince words when criticising education officials in Taiwan. She has accused them of turning young people into “moral dwarves and historical idiots”. She says the government’s actions amount to “self-castration”. Ms Ou, a Chinese-literature teacher at the prestigious Taipei First Girls’ High School, is angry that the state has reduced the number of recommended classical Chinese texts in the high-school curriculum. She believes this is an effort to “de-sinicise” students.Ms Ou’s opinion, first aired at a press conference in early December, went viral. It quickly became part of a narrative promoted by the Chinese government and Taiwan’s opposition parties. Both accuse Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (), which takes a defiant stance towards China, of trying to stamp out Chinese culture. The messaging comes as Taiwan prepares for a presidential election on January 13th. The outcome could lead to a big change in Taiwan’s posture towards China, which sees the island as part of its territory.