As tensions between democracy protesters and police in Hong Kong escalate, former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley warned that “if Hong Kong falls, Taiwan is next.”
In an interview on Tuesday on The Daily Briefing with Fox News political commentator Dana Perino, Haley was asked about her views of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong and whether the US government should say more in support of the protesters there.
“We should always use the power of our voice to fight for people who are fighting for their own freedoms, and that whole protest in Hong Kong is about ‘if Hong Kong falls, Taiwan is next,’” Haley said.
That is why Americans “need to care about what the people of Hong Kong are trying to do,” she added.
Even before resigning as US ambassador last month, Haley had made other public statements in support of Taiwan.
In August, she delivered an opinion piece on Fox News, highlighting the potential dangers to Taiwan, as China ramped up talk of military intervention in Hong Kong after months of public protests.
The [protests resulted from Beijing’s “increasingly aggressive authoritarianism,” Haley said in the piece, which was later published on the Fox News Web site.
“If China pays no price for crushing Hong Kong, it might decide it can use force to also take control of Taiwan,” she said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday thanked Haley for her support of Taiwan and the people of Hong Kong.
“Taiwan is a frontline state fighting creeping authoritarianism,” the ministry said on Twitter.
“We stand with Hong Kong people seeking freedom & democracy, & condemn the police attack on university campus, as well as firing lethal weapons against citizens,” the ministry said.
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