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Taiwanese urged to
heed Hong Kong lessons
HISTORY REPEATS: The anniversary of the
territory¡¦s handover should serve to remind the nation of the perils of getting
closer to China, the DPP chairman said
By Lin Shu-hui / Staff reporter
On the eve of the 15th anniversary of Hong Kong¡¦s 1997 handover to China,
Democratic Progressive Party Chairman Su Tseng-chang (Ĭs©÷) urged Taiwanese to be
vigilant of the development of bilateral relations between Hong Kong and China,
which he said have turned from economic dependence to social conflict.
¡§With the bond between Hong Kong and China growing stronger, the [Beijing¡¦s
pledge] of ¡¥Hong Kong administering Hong Kong¡¦ has became nothing but empty
words. Hong Kong¡¦s relations with China have gone from being highly economic
dependent to social collision, then to making political concessions. Those are
the lessons people in Taiwan as well as the government must be aware of,¡¨ Su
said on his Facebook page yesterday.
The structural changes and economic outlook of the Hong Kong special
administrative region still remain critical issues that need to be closely
watched by the international community, he added.
To mark the anniversary, Chinese President Hu Jintao (JÀAÀÜ) arrived in Hong Kong
for a three-day visit on Friday, but the supposedly celebratory visit has been
met with crowds of indignant protesters and turned into a security issue, he
said.
Another issue of great concern lies in whether universal values such as
democracy, freedom and human rights have been rightfully and truly exercised in
Hong Kong under the mode of ¡§one country, two systems,¡¨ Su said.
¡§Former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping (¾H¤p¥) promised to keep Hong Kong unchanged
for 50 years after unification, a once lofty promise that has became nothing but
whispery sounds falling into the bottomless black hole of history. The words
scoff at the [political] reality of Hong Kong,¡¨ Su said.
The ties between Hong Kong and China have become closer than ever over the past
15 years, but with greater economic dependence comes a stronger reliance and
with deeper social exchange comes more clashes, he said.
¡§Although we are at a point in time when Taiwan can no longer avoid bilateral
exchanges with China, the public should be vigilant and learn from the lessons
Hong Kong has taught us from deepening its economic, social and political ties
with Beijing,¡¨ Su said.
Translated by Stacy Hsu, staff writer
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