Premier Jiang Yi-huah says the government has no plans to evacuate Taiwanese nationals from Hong Kong. Jiang was speaking Tuesday at the legislature.
He said it’s too early to consider that option. Only if the safety of Taiwanese citizens’ were at risk would the government consider taking steps to evacuate its nationals.
Premier Jiang said the government of the Republic of China and the Taiwanese people fully support Hong Kong residents’ call for democracy and fair and open elections of its chief executive. The Republic of China is Taiwan’s official name. Jiang declined to comment on whether it was appropriate for the Hong Kong police to use pepper spray and tear gas to disperse protestors.
A ruling KMT lawmaker Wu Yu-sheng suggested conducting a review of police gear used by entry-level police officers. But Jiang said there is no need to so.
“The equipment that is in use now is enough, and we have no plans to purchase other gear such as pepper spray," said Jiang.
Jiang also said as China’s National Day falls on October 1st, any developments in the protests on Wednesday will have a big influence on the scope and impact of the protests.
Meanwhile, the presidential office said President Ma Ying-jeou is closely monitoring the situation in Hong Kong.