Taiwan warned to remain vigilant in Yomiuri Shimbun op-ed
Taiwan News
Date: 2019/01/29
By: Ryan Drillsma, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Xi Jinping at BRICS Summit in South Africa, 2017 (By Associated Press)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Under increasing pressure from the Chinese government, Taiwan’s plight has continued to draw the attention of international media, with scholars and foreign policy experts continually delivering criticisms of China’s behavior and commentaries on Taiwan’s cross-strait strategies.
An op-ed in Japanese newspaper The Yomiuri Shimbun says that China has suppressed dissenting voices from Taiwan for so long that even if its “One County, Two Systems” arrangement is achieved, it will never obtain credibility internationally.
Xi Jinping promised that China would implement the arrangement for its “Taiwan compatriots” following a “peaceful unification” in his new year address on Jan. 2 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of a message delivered to the R.O.C. about recommencing relations.
The article warns Xi’s promise of a “peaceful unification” should not be taken at face value, and as the totalitarian nature of Beijing’s governance grows, so does the likelihood the Communist Party leader would deviate from his promise. It cites the current suppression of democracy and freedom of speech in Hong Kong as an example.
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