The Hong Kong model of "one country, two systems" only shows how easily China reneges on its pledges and it would be impossible to transplant the model to Taiwan, the Cabinet said yesterday on the eve of the anniversary of Hong Kong's 1997 handover to China.
"Beijing's repeated breaking of its promises has only led Taiwanese people to believe that it doesn't mean what it says and that the model is unacceptable," Cabinet Spokesman Chen Chi-mai (
According to Chen, information gathered by the Mainland Affairs Council showed that under Chinese rule over 157 incidents have taken place impinging on the territory's freedom, human rights and rule of law as of this month.
One of the most noteworthy was a ruling by China's most powerful legislative body in April according to which Hong Kong citizens cannot democratically choose a successor to unpopular Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa (
Beijing also said Hong Kong will be allowed to directly elect only some, and not all, its lawmakers in 2008.
Another incident was last years attempt to pass anti-subversion legislation which brought 500,000 people onto the street in protest on July 1.
The Hong Kong government has proposed to enact Article 23 of the Basic Law, which would prohibit any act of treason, secession, sedition, subversion against the People's Republic of China or theft of state secrets. It would also ban political organizations and groups in Hong Kong from having contact with similar groups abroad.
Beijing said that passage of the legislation is required under the agreement that saw Hong Kong return to Chinese rule under the "one country, two systems" formula.
On the economic front, Chen said that Hong Kong's GDP per capita in 1997 was recorded at US$26,762 but had dwindled to US$23,027 last year.
Its jobless rate also skyrocketed from 1997's 2.2 percent to 8.7 percent in July last year.
According to an opinion poll administered by the Cabinet's Research, Development and Evaluation Commission (
The percentage had risen to 80.8 percent by April this year.
The Mainland Affairs Council yesterday published a paper analyzing political development in Hong Kong since its handover in 1997.
China's actions have fueled Hong Kong people's doubts about whether Beijing will abide by the "one country, two systems" formula which promised to Hong Kong a "high degree" of autonomy.
"Only freedom and democracy in Hong Kong can promote the region's prosperity and economic development," the report said.
The council, in a statement, said that Hong Kong played an important role in keeping peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. "Our government will carefully observe democratic development in Hong Kong and expand our service for Taiwanese in Hong Kong," the statement said.
additional reporting by Melody Chen
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
RSS