Freedom and democracy have disappeared from Hong Kong, the Taiwanese Prime Minister said on Friday July 1, as Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the former British colony for the 25th anniversary of its handover to China.
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"
You only have to see the suffering of Hong Kong people to know whether Hong Kong is doing better or worse
," Premier Su Tseng-chang told reporters in Taipei.
"
It's only been 25 years, and in the past the promise was 50 years without change
," he added, referring to Beijing's promise that Hong Kong could maintain its freedoms until 2047. The commitment that "'
the dance will continue and the horses will continue to run
'
is gone, and even freedom and democracy are gone
," he lamented, echoing a quote from former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping who had pledged Hong Kongers that life would not change after the handover.
Hold on
Xi Jinping was in Hong Kong on Friday to praise Beijing's authority over the city, assuring that "
real democracy
" has been in force there since the handover in 1997. The Chinese Communist Party has never ruled Taiwan but considers the island as part of its territory and promised to take it back one day, by force if necessary.
He proposed to Taiwan a “
one country, two systems
” principle of governance similar to that which, in theory, ensures Hong Kong a certain autonomy and the maintenance of freedoms.
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This proposal has been widely rejected across Taiwan's political spectrum, a position reinforced by the blows to freedoms in Hong Kong in recent years.
Su Tseng-chang urged Taiwan to stand firm on its sovereignty, freedoms and democracy.
" China
's
'
one country, two systems
'
simply hasn't stood the test of time
," he said.
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