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Feature: Taiwanese don't want to follow Hong Kong's lead

Taiwanese love to visit Hong Kong and shop in its glitzy malls. But few are willing to buy into the way the former British colony was handed back to China 10 years ago.

It's an important issue for Taiwan, because China wants to "unify" with Taiwan the same way it did with Hong Kong: using the "one country, two systems" formula in which Hong Kong was allowed to keep its capitalist ways, civil liberties and free press. And Hong Kongers were supposed to rule Hong Kong -- with oversight from the Communist masters in Beijing. But Hong Kong voters still can't directly elect their leader and entire legislature. Beijing has yet to say when the city will have these freedoms.

So far, few Taiwanese think Hong Kong's political system is a good model for Taiwan.

"China has a totally different outlook than Taiwan," said recent college graduate Lin Chih-li, 25, of Taipei, who said he fears that Taiwan's freedoms could be lost if the country ever came under Chinese control.

"I don't think the two places are really compatible," he said.

The same is said by Taiwan's political parties, who rarely agree on anything.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Su Chi (蘇起) agreed with Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim's (蕭美琴) remarks that people in Taiwan have much more freedom and political rights than in Hong Kong.

"Politically we feel that the Hong Kong model is not applicable to Taiwan. Hong Kong was never the master of its own land. It was a British colony," he said. "For us, it's a totally different situation."

Su's opinion is common among Taiwanese, who view Hong Kong as a piece of real estate that could be traded between China and Britain. But many people here believe they should have more bargaining power with China and should be treated like equals.

The Taiwanese spent more than five decades transforming this island into a manufacturing powerhouse. Taiwan's companies are now a major global supplier of computer chips, laptops and other advanced electronics.

Taiwan is also extremely proud of its political transformation.

Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai (黎智英), who owns the Chinese-language Apple Daily and a magazine in Taiwan, said Taiwan was better off than Hong Kong.

"Taiwan at least has hope for a new leader in 2008," Lai said. "If we had a poor leader today, when would we get a new one?"

Also see stories:
China should see HOng Kong as a test of democracy
Uncertainty triggered an exodus ahead of British withdrawal

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