Taiwan’s representative office in the German city of Frankfurt has sent an opinion piece to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper, calling on Beijing to respect Hong Kong’s call for democracy.
The piece, written by an official with the representative office, Tsai Ching-hua, was published on Tuesday. Tsai said in his article that democracy and stability are indispensable to economic development. He also called on Beijing to implement democracy in Hong Kong to ensure that the harbor city retains its status as a global financial hub.
In addition, Tsai pointed out that Taiwan enjoys free elections and protects human rights. He said the "one country, two systems" proposal by Chinese President Xi Jinping is not acceptable to Taiwan’s government and mainstream society.
Tsai said Beijing should learn from Taiwan’s experience that universal values and Chinese culture can work seamlessly together. He also said "one country, two systems" is not the point. The key to cross-strait relations lies in free, fair elections, respect for human rights, and the rule of law.