Taiwan fears ‘to end up as Hong Kong’

Taiwan fears that, in the end, it will face the same fate as Hong Kong, which is in danger of losing its autonomy as a result of the new Chinese security law.

US Secretary of Health Azar arrived in Taiwan on Sunday. It is the highest visit the country has received from the United States in 40 years. China, which sees Taiwan as a renegade province, strongly condemned the visit. On Monday, Chinese fighter planes crossed the midline in the Strait of Taiwan, which is seen by the Taipei government as intimidation. In addition, while Azar was visiting Hong Kong, the media mogul Jimmy Lai was arrested on suspicion of violating the new Security Act.

Hong Kong is officially governed by the principle of ‘one country, two systems’, which means that China respects the democratic system, the independent judiciary and the free market economy of Hong Kong. The same principle has been proposed to Taiwan to persuade the island to join China. For the time being, this has been rejected by all Taiwanese governments and major political parties.

Joseph Wu said Taiwan is lucky to have a good friend like the United States. ‘We know that this is not just about Taiwan’s status, but about protecting democracy from authoritarian aggression. According to Wu, Taiwan must win this battle so that democracy prevails.

Azar is not only in Taiwan to support the country in the midst of increasing tensions with China, but also to learn more about the successful approach to the new coronavirus. An early, preventive approach has only affected very few people there.

Officially, Washington does not maintain diplomatic ties with Taipei, but the US is Taiwan’s largest arms supplier. The Trump government has made better links with the island state a priority as tensions with China continue to increase.

Louise Roth is the youngest member of WeeklyNewsReview team. Despite the young age Louise is interested in serious topics. Her main interests and education is all about economics and politics. But in our team she is the most productive do-it-all member, so she has to write on a variety of topics.