Hong Kong's top democracy advocates pledged their strong commitment to the "one country, two systems" concept and their equal opposition to Taiwanese independence in Washington on Thursday as they testified before a Senate subcommittee hearing called in response to Beijing's efforts to prevent universal suffrage in Hong Kong.
"We support a one-China policy and one country, two systems," Hong Kong Democratic Party founder Martin Lee (
Later he told reporters: "In Hong Kong there is no question of independence. The Democratic Party is opposed to Taiwan's independence."
At the hearing, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia Randall Schriver issued a stern warning to China on behalf of the US that relations between the two countries will "suffer" if China does not respect Hong Kong's desire for continued democratization.
In his testimony, Schriver warned that "it is important that China understand our strong interest in the preservation of Hong Kong's current freedoms, as well as our interest in the continued democratization of Hong Kong as called for in the Basic Law."
"US-China relations will suffer if the cause of freedom and democracy suffers in Hong Kong. That outcome would not be good for people in Hong Kong, in Beijing or in the United States," he said.
Lee and three of his supporters traveled to Washington at the committee's request to testify about China's moves to prevent Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa's (
They also spoke about Beijing's efforts to prevent pro-democracy activists such as Lee and his delegation from running for elected posts by labeling the activists as non-patriots, and therefore ineligible for leading Hong Kong.
Both Beijing and Tung have voiced strong opposition to the hearing and to Lee's trip to Washington as interference in internal Chinese affairs, reflecting what has become a new area of friction between the US and China in recent months over the Hong Kong democracy issue.
Meanwhile, in response to ques-tions from subcommittee Chairman Sam Brownback, a leading supporter of Taiwan in Congress, Schriver would not draw a parallel between Washington's policy toward Taiwan and its policy toward Hong Kong.
"I think they are two very different cases and how we manage the policy is very different," Schri-ver said.
He said the only commonality is that US supports democracy in both places.
Regarding Taiwan, he said, "we're proud and we admire what they've done there."
In contrast, he noted, China sees a relationship between Taiwan and Hong Kong because the one country, two systems principle "was developed with Taiwan in mind, prior to the Hong Kong experience. So they have some incentive to want that to succeed [in Hong Kong], to do well so that it will be an attractive model to Taiwan."
He also pointed out that while China is trying to delay or block Hong Kong's democratization, Taiwan's democratization "has been rapid and been successful.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS