Action star Jackie Chan’s (成龍) comment that Chinese “need to be controlled” drew sharp criticism from lawmakers in his native Hong Kong and in Taiwan.
Chan said at a business forum in Hainan on Saturday that a free society may not be beneficial for authoritarian China.
“I’m not sure if it’s good to have freedom or not,” Chan said. “I’m gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled. If we’re not being controlled, we’ll just do what we want.”
Freedom in Hong Kong and Taiwan, he said, had made those societies “chaotic.”
Chan’s comments drew applause from a predominantly Chinese audience of business leaders, but did not sit well with people in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) said Chan “has enjoyed freedom and democracy and has reaped the economic benefits of capitalism. But he has yet to grasp the true meaning of freedom and democracy.”
DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said Chan should not have made the comment because freedom and human rights are core values in a democracy and most Taiwanese appreciate these values, which are still missing or not appreciated in China.
“Chan should learn more from the real Taiwan,” he said.
Freddy Lim (林昶佐), the frontman of the heavy metal band Chthonic (閃靈樂團) and known for his pro-independence stance, told the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) that Chan did not value freedom and did not know what it is.
Killing people, like China has done in Tibet, could stop chaos, he said. But whether the public — and Chan — desire that is doubtful.
Wu Chin-fa (吳錦發), former vice chairman of the Council for Cultural Affairs, said Chan should not have made the comments because he is, after all, just an entertainer.
Pro-democracy Hong Kong Legislator Leung Kwok-hung (梁國雄) said Chan had “insulted the Chinese people. Chinese people aren’t pets,” he was quoted by The Associated Press as saying. “Chinese society needs a democratic system to protect human rights and rule of law.”
Hong Kong Legislator Albert Ho (何俊仁) called the comments “racist,” adding: “People around the world are running their own countries … Why couldn’t Chinese do the same?”
As a former British colony, Hong Kong enjoys Western-style civil liberties and some democratic elections under Chinese rule.
Half of its 60-member legislature is elected, with the other half picked by special interest groups. But Hong Kong’s leader is chosen by a panel stacked with Beijing loyalists.
While Chan’s comments were reported by Hong Kong and Taiwanese news outlets, they were ignored by Chinese media.
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
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,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS