TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan is facing an increasingly difficult position as China pressures the democratic island to accept conditions it would become in the next Hong Kong, its top diplomat said during a visit by US Secretary of Health Alex Azar on Tuesday.
Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu speaks at a news conference in Taipei, Taiwan, August 11, 2020. REUTERS / Ann Wang
Azar arrived in Taiwan on Sunday as the highest-level U.S. official to visit in four decades, a trip condemned by China claiming the island as its own.
Chinese fighters briefly crossed the median line of sensitive Taiwan Strait on Monday, and were tracked down by Taiwanese anti-aircraft missiles, part of what Taipei sees as a pattern of harassment by Beijing.
Azar’s trip to Taiwan also coincided with a further collapse in the Hungarian government of Hong Kong, where on Monday police arrested media tycoon Jimmy Lai under a harsh new national security law.
“Our lives have become increasingly difficult as China continues to press Taiwan to accept its political circumstances, conditions that will transform Taiwan into the next Hong Kong,” Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said at a joint media appearance with Azar in Taipei.
China has proposed a “one country, two systems” model of autonomy to get Taiwan to accept its rule, just as it does in Hong Kong. The proposal has been rejected in Taiwan by all major parties and the government.
Wu said Taiwan was fortunate to have friends like Azar in the United States to help fight for Taiwan’s international space.
“We know that this is not just about the status of Taiwan, but about the preservation of democracy in the face of authoritarian aggression. Taiwan must win these battles so that democracy prevails. ”
Washington broke official ties with Taipei in favor of Beijing in 1979, but is still Taiwan’s largest arms supplier. The Trump administration has made strengthening its support for the democratic island a priority, as relations with China are strained over issues including human rights and trade.
Azar is in Taiwan not only to provide the administration’s support for its democracy, but to learn about its successful fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Taiwan has kept its infection numbers low thanks to early and effective prevention efforts.
Azar said the world should recognize Taiwan’s health performance, pointing to Taiwan’s exclusion from the World Health Organization (WHO) because of Chinese objections, which Taiwan considers a just province.
“Especially during a pandemic, but international organizations should in any case not be places to play politics. They should be locations for constructive, open dialogue and collaboration. ”
Both China and the WHO say Taiwan has received the help it needs during the pandemic.
Report by Yimou Lee; Written by Ben Blanchard; Edited by Lincoln Feast.
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