Lawmakers across political party lines yesterday expressed their disagreement with a suggestion by Tesla and SpaceX chief executive officer Elon Musk that Taiwan become a special administrative region of China.
In an interview with the Financial Times, published on Friday, Musk was quoted as saying “my recommendation ... would be to figure out a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is reasonably palatable, probably won’t make everyone happy.”
“And it’s possible, and I think probably, in fact, that they could have an arrangement that’s more lenient than Hong Kong,” he added.
Photo: Reuters
The world’s richest person made the remarks when the newspaper asked him about China, where Tesla has a large electric vehicle factory in Shanghai.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) yesterday said that while the world is concerned about protecting Taiwan’s democracy, freedom and human rights, Musk is concerned about other issues.
“Individual independent companies cannot take their ownership as a joke,” DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) wrote on Facebook. “So why should they casually pass off the democratic freedoms, sovereignty and way of life of 23 million Taiwanese? It is not acceptable for Ukraine, and Taiwan certainly will not allow it.”
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip William Tseng (曾銘宗) said that Musk’s suggestions are impractical, adding that the Republic of China (ROC) is a sovereign, independent nation and his party would protect its sovereignty, democracy and freedom.
New Power Party caucus whip Chiu Hsiang-chih (邱顯智) said his party strongly opposes Musk’s proposal, adding that Taiwan must increase national defense spending and enhance its military capabilities in the face of China’s military coercion and political intimidation.
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) caucus whip Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠) said Musk’s comments highlight Taiwan’s strategic importance, as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait affect the development of the global economy, but people around the world must respect Taiwan’s sovereignty and allow Taiwanese to make their own decisions.
The Mainland Affairs Council yesterday said that neither Taiwan nor any other country would accept Musk’s proposal, which is based on investment interests, “to turn a democratic country into an autocratic country’s special administration.”
Taiwan plays a crucial role in regional democratic politics and global technology and economy, and is not a product of commercial transactions, it said, adding that Taiwan has an advantage in the semiconductor and tech supply chain, and has long worked with Tesla.
It said it welcomes Musk and other global business leaders to visit Taiwan to see its democracy and innovation for themselves.
A senior Taiwanese official familiar with security planning in the region told Reuters that “Musk needs to find a clear-headed political adviser.”
“The world has seen clearly what happened to Hong Kong,” the anonymous official said. “Hong Kong’s economic and social vibrancy abruptly ended under Beijing’s totalitarian rule.”
The three main candidates running for Taipei mayor also expressed their disagreement.
DPP Taipei mayoral candidate Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said Musk is a successful entrepreneur, but the cross-strait relationship is complicated, adding that Musk’s suggestion minimizes Taiwan and affects the nation’s safety.
KMT Legislator and Taipei mayoral candidate Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said that “the ROC is a country with independent sovereignty. We must protect the ROC and protect Taiwan.”
Independent Taipei mayoral candidate Vivian Huang (黃珊珊), who is endorsed by the TPP, said Taiwan is a sovereign nation, so it should ignore Musk’s irresponsible remarks.
“He can say what he wants to say, but we do not need to care about it,” she said.
Additional reporting by Chung Li-hua and Reuters
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique