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  “With critical situation in Hong Kong, look to... - Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada 駐加拿大台北經濟文化代表處 :::
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“With critical situation in Hong Kong, look to Taiwan as a partner and ally" on The Hill Times

With critical situation in Hong Kong, look to Taiwan as a partner and ally

By WINSTON WEN-YI CHEN      
In the early days of the new year, Hong Kong’s advocates for democracy were once again issued a stunning blow. Under the auspices of Hong Kong’s “National Security Law,” more than 50 activists and pro-democracy politicians who had participated in democratic primary elections last year were arrested, and the offices of RTHK, a public broadcaster in Hong Kong, were raided as well.

This crackdown is one of many in recent months to target democracy advocates like Joshua Wong and Agnes Chow, legislators like Wu Chi-wai, and media figures like Jimmy Lai.

Yet this most recent assault on democracy is perhaps the clearest sign to date that the freedoms which Beijing had promised to Hong Kong are becoming a thing of the past. These arrests are targeted toward dismantling the democratic forces in Hong Kong which are standing up for their fundamental rights.

It is another move to make Hong Kong indistinguishable from mainland China. The so-called “One Country, Two Systems” formula has now clearly failed to hold up.

In the wake of this crackdown, the world’s democracies must come together and speak up in support of Hong Kong. It remains, along with my own country of Taiwan, at the vanguard of democracy.

Indeed, as Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen has stated, “we must not stand by while the little freedom that is left in Hong Kong disappears before our eyes.”

President Tsai has been consistent in her steadfast and resolute support for a free and democratic Hong Kong in part because she knows that the authoritarian ambitions of the Chinese Communist Party extend beyond China’s borders.

As Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu has warned, China’s efforts to “expand its authoritarian order,” present very real and present dangers to Taiwan.

Beijing has made it clear that they are willing to use force to accomplish this task.

As a global community, we cannot allow for democratic erosion to continue. We must instead “unite against authoritarianism” as Minister Wu argues, and defend pluralism, civic rights, and democracy itself. A unified, global response is the only way to succeed.

Luckily, the world seems to have realized just how critical the situation is in Hong Kong.

Canada’s former foreign minister François-Philippe Champagne issued a strong rebuke of the crackdown, and also issued a joint statement alongside his U.S., U.K., and Australian counterparts. This builds on consistent and strong statements from Ottawa criticizing the actions taken against the people of Hong Kong and tens of thousands of Canadians living in the territory.

In Canada and in the United States, there is a large degree of bipartisan unity on this front. Conservative Party critic for foreign affairs Michael Chong rebuked the mass arrests and urged further actions. The United States’ Secretary of State Antony Blinken has also stated in no uncertain terms that the Biden-Harris administration will “stand with the people of Hong Kong and against Beijing’s crackdown on democracy.”

Standing in solidarity with Hong Kong’s brave democratic activists is well worth doing. By working in lockstep to prevent further assault on democracy in Hong Kong, we are forestalling assaults on democracy elsewhere. By contrast, if we do not protect democracy here and now, experts like J. Michael Cole warn that China may start seeking new targets to undermine. Recently, former Canadian chief of the defence staff General Jonathan Vance has made similar warnings, too.

A modern nation of 23.5 million people, Taiwan is a bastion of liberal values in Asia. We have common interests, principles, and commitments as countries like Canada, and our resolute commitment to democracy makes us a natural partner and ally. Democracies like Taiwan must be protected if we want the rule-based world order to continue to reflect our values.

We, in the international community, must work collaboratively to strengthen democracy and prevent its erosion. This means that not only must we condemn those who seek to undermine peoples’ political and civic rights, but we must also be inclusive of countries which share our values.

To that end, we continue to appreciate the efforts of like-minded countries, like Canada, to support Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international fora. Further efforts to include Taiwan in the World Health Organization, International Civil Aviation Organization, and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, etc., would not only be appreciated by the Taiwanese people, but would also serve as an instrumental role of increasing inter-democracy co-operation.

Ultimately, democracy will not survive authoritarian challenges if countries with the ability to stand up fail to do so.

Therefore, the recent large-scale crackdown in Hong Kong serves as a test of our collective ability to defend democracy globally; if we fail this test, the next one will certainly be much more challenging.

Winston Wen-yi Chen is the representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada.

The Hill Times