IRRECONCILABLE: Democracy and authoritarianism cannot coexist, the president said, warning the world about Beijing’s military buildup and expansionism

Taipei Times
Date:  Aug 21, 2019
By: Lin Chia-nan  /  Staff reporter

The protests in Hong Kong are proof that China’s “one country, two systems” model does not work,

because authoritarianism and democracy cannot coexist, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told a security forum in Taipei yesterday, alerting the world to Chinese expansionism.

While Taiwan promotes sustainable and joint development projects with its partners, Chinese military expansionism has sparked concern in many countries, Tsai said at the 2019 Asia-Pacific Security Dialogue, citing Beijing’s aggressive claims over territory and its military buildup in the South China Sea.

China has not given up its ambition to annex Taiwan by force or impose its “one country, two systems” model on the nation, despite the model’s failure in Hong Kong, the president said.

Taiwan has been developing its own aircraft and submarines, with its first domestically developed training aircraft model to be finished in the second half of next month, she said, while thanking US President Donald Trump’s administration for its four previous arms sales to Taiwan.
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